


Ours Is My Favorite

by LookingForOdysseus



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Twilight Renaissance, Vampires, enjoy them trying to navigate modern life, spoilers theyre bad at it, the cullens are still idiots though dw, this is slightly more canon are you proud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26423269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LookingForOdysseus/pseuds/LookingForOdysseus
Summary: Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper decide to attend college and really go for it this time: they pretend to not know each other and then slowly but surely fall in love over their four years there. Being a twenty-first-century teen, however, turns out to be just as challenging as being a vampire, especially when some fellow students seem to know a little bit too much.
Relationships: Alice Cullen & Edward Cullen & Emmett Cullen & Jasper Hale & Rosalie Hale & Bella Swan, Alice Cullen & Rosalie Hale, Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen & Jasper Hale, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale
Comments: 117
Kudos: 125





	1. A little something different

**Author's Note:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

Rosalie Hale had had many first days of college, but this one felt different. She wasn't sure whether that was because she would be living in the dorms for the first time, because, for now, she only had Jasper by her side, or because Emmett and Alice had had the genius idea to create an epic love story between the four of them in the time they had here. They all doubted they would last the full four years so far away from the rest of the family, but, knowing her husband and sister (apologies, the future frat boy she would fall in love with but hadn't met yet and the roommate she had only spoken to on Facebook), they would give it a good run.

She peered out of the window of the rental car at the parking lot of the redbrick college Esme had turned into. The White Mountains region in New Hampshire was notoriously cloudy, making it perfect for vampires, and the forest that surrounded the college would be filled with things to eat. James Anderson University (JAU, for short) was home to around 8,000 students from around the United States, including, as of today, Rosalie and Jasper Hale, and the to them completely unknown Emmett McCarty and Mary Alice Brandon.

When Emmett and Alice had first proposed their idea, Rosalie had been hesitant, but she was quickly won over by their enthusiasm and the siren's call of doing something as typically human as having a college romance. After all, what could really go wrong? If anything, Rosalie guessed it would make them less conspicuous than usual. Rosalie and Jasper had decided to remain twins; partly because it seemed strange to not be half of a pair after all these years, and partly so Rosalie had a good reason to keep an eye on Jasper in this place filled to the brim with humans. His anxiety seeped into her bones from the passenger seat, where he was intently watching the students walk past with boxes, suitcases, and little brothers who had run off under their arm.

Esme had flown with them from Idaho, where the family had moved to a few years ago. They had separated from Carlisle and Alice at the airport, who had gotten into their own rental car. Rosalie had said goodbye to Emmett a few days ago, as he had driven his Jeep across the country; the Wrangler would be more useful in this region than Rosalie's BMW, although it would been difficult to be away from her car for so long. Edward and Bella had been invited, of course, but had elected to stay home and spend more time with Nessie. Rosalie smiled when she thought of her niece, missing the happy, bright girl already.

Esme pulled into an empty parking spot. "We're here, guys," she said, clutching the steering wheel harder than necessary. Their mother thought their plans were a little over the top, to say the least. Rosalie suspected Esme was expecting her children home before Christmas; she thought it wouldn't take them long to make a detrimental mistake. "Let's go to the front office and pick up your keys."

When Rosalie slid out of the car, she was immediately jumped by one of the overly excited current students helping with the move-in process that stood in the parking lot, preying on innocent freshmen. "Hi!" a girl, about Rosalie's height with tan skin and shiny, wavy hair said brightly. "I'm Katy, welcome to JAU. Here's your welcome package, there's a map in there too, but you won't need it to get to the office cause it's right over there. If you guys need help with anything, you can ask any of us, we're recognizable by our T-shirts. You have any questions?" She rattled off the speech at an impressive speed for a human and pointed at her T-shirt with the JAU crest printed on it: a cluster of trees with a dark, almost human-like shape emerging from them that Rosalie knew was supposed to be a bear.

Esme gently refused the welcome package she was offered, and said: "I think we're good, thanks Katy. Unless you guys have questions?"

Jasper was visibly holding his breath, so Rosalie decided to distract Katy a little. "I was just wondering when the recruitment starts. I've heard you have quite the sorority and fraternity scene, and we were thinking about joining."

Katy's face lit up, dark eyes sparkling, and she suddenly reminded Rosalie of Alice when she got her hands on a new design project. "Of course, JAU is known for its fraternities and sororities, which is more uncommon here than down South. There's a whole chapter in the welcome guide about recruitment, but it starts next week, so better get excited! I'm in Alpha Kappa Theta, which is _obviously_ the best one, don't tell anyone I said that, and our brother group is Gamma Delta Tau." She winked at Jasper, who managed to plaster a small smile on his lips that seemed somewhat genuine. He did start to relax a little, which Rosalie attributed to Katy's bubbly enthusiasm that would be even more infectious to him than it was to herself.

Rosalie nodded. "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." She liked Katy (she clearly had a preference for overly excited dark haired girls due to previous positive experiences), and she didn't feel like joining a sorority she wasn't a fan of just because it would fit into the story so nicely.

"Cool, I'll see you guys around then. Go grizzlies!" Katy chirped, and turned towards other new arrivals.

Jasper leaned towards Rosalie as they made their way to the front office for their key pick-up. "The mascot of this college is a grizzly bear?"

Rosalie chuckled. "Didn't you do your research? That's, like, half the reason Em picked it."

She let her eyes glide over the crowds as they walked, but saw no sign of the rest of the family. Carlisle and Alice could probably slip through the masses unnoticed, but Rosalie was certain she would spot 6'5 Emmett in his red Jeep Wrangler easily. He probably just hadn't made it yet.

When they got their keys, they decided to check out the room Rosalie would share with Alice first, before moving on to Jasper and Emmett's. The only condition their parents had given them was that they would be roommates, which the children had accepted readily. No one was looking to share a room with an eighteen-year-old filled to the brim with blood and hormones, who would probably get suspicious eventually if their roommate never slept.

Rosalie and Alice were living in the Olivia Anderson building, named, just like all the other buildings on campus, after one of James Anderson's many relatives. The website had described him as 'a true family man', and Rosalie just hoped he had been nice to Olivia, whoever she may have been. The building was full of girls in athleisure, unpacking their things, hugging their parents, or kissing their boyfriends.

The door to her room stood wide open, and Rosalie spotted Alice and Carlisle, who was of course wearing a scarf with a wood pattern, to match the surroundings, standing in the doorway. They were accompanied by a tall girl dressed all in black, with lavender hair that came to her shoulders. Rosalie halted in front of Alice and looked at her sister, who stopped talking to the other girl and turned towards Rosalie. _Here goes nothing_ , Rosalie thought.

"Hey," she said, "I think I'm your roommate?" Carlisle and Esme exchanged an exasperated look as they pretended to not have been married for over a century, and Alice swept Rosalie up in a big hug.

"Yes!" Alice said happily. "I'm Alice, this is our neighbor, May."

"Rosalie Hale," Rosalie introduced herself, primarily to May, since both Alice and Carlisle probably remembered what her name was. "This is my twin brother Jasper, he's living in… Richard? Right?" Jasper nodded but didn't anything, his characteristic 'there are humans here and I'm actively engaged in trying not to murder them'-look on his face. May, who probably sensed some of his contained aggression, eyed him wearily and turned to Rosalie and Alice.

"Let's all go to the introduction together tonight," she proposed. "My roommate is arriving later, and I'm sure she would love to get to know you guys, too." She smiled, and, for a moment, Rosalie felt bad for May, who was trying so hard to make friends with people who would inevitably vanish without a trace.

Alice nodded, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet. "Great idea, we'll have so much fun." Rosalie smiled at the formulation. Even when pretending to be human, Alice's most peculiar talent shone through.

May went back into her own room to continue unpacking, and Esme, Jasper, and Rosalie lugged Rose's bags into her and Alice's room before shutting the door, giving the family a few minutes of privacy.

"This is already so much fun," Alice said, putting an arm around Jasper's waist now she could show she already loved him, and he relaxed visibly. "I can't wait for recruitment, I've never been in a sorority before. Do you have your eye on one already, Rosie?"

Rosalie shrugged. "We met a girl called Katy who was in Alpha Kappa Theta. She was really nice, so that one sounds good."

Carlisle sighed deeply. "You guys are really doing this, huh?" he said, a tired note in his voice that Rosalie hadn't heard in years.

Alice nodded. "And yes, dad, we're going to enjoy the hell out of it."


	2. Romeo and Juliet who

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

As usual, Emmett's bright red Jeep Wrangler caught quite a lot of attention when he rolled up to the college just after noon. Even driving at vampire speed, it had taken him more than a day to get to New Hampshire from Eastern Idaho, and he was happy that it was over. No matter how much he loved his Jeep and jamming out to ABBA, this was going to be a lot more fun than driving alone. He parallel parked the car into a particularly tight spot with one hand, and was approached by a happy girl in a JAU T-shirt the second he slammed the door behind him.

The girl introduced herself as Katy and dived head-first into a pretty standard welcome talk, that ended with asking him whether he had any questions. Emmett leaned towards her and winked conspiratorially. "I was thinking about joining a frat, which one has the coolest guys?"

Katy laughed, and pretended to look around for anyone listening in. "I would recommend Gamma Delta Tau. They're still boys, so it's not as cool as my sorority, but it's the best we've got."

Emmett let out one of his booming laughs that rolled through the parking lot like thunder. "Thanks Katy, I'll make sure to look out for that one."

She nodded. "If you need any help, feel free to ask me or anyone else in a T-shirt. Go grizzlies!"

"Go grizzlies, indeed," Emmett answered solemnly. He made his way over to the front office, where he was given his key, as well as incredibly conflicting directions to the Richard Anderson building from two people at the same time. He grabbed his first two suitcases from the Jeep and wandered across campus to the dorm building.

James Anderson University ticked all the boxes for a classic northeastern college: statuesque redbrick buildings covered in ivy, a campus organized around a field referred to exclusively as 'the green', a long, messy history Emmett had only skimmed on the website, and a flashy crest that had been plastered on as many buildings and signs as humanly possible. Emmett loved it here already; he had been to quite a few colleges over the years, but JAU created its own unique flavor by marrying the historical value of Yale and Harvard with the intense Greek life more common at southern schools. The south was off-limit to vampires due to the many hours of sun, so this was the closest they would ever get to experiencing that.

At the Richard Anderson building, Emmett enlisted unnecessary yet welcome help from one of Katy's colleagues to carry the suitcases up the three flights of stairs to the dorm. The boy, a lanky redhead named Cameron, was almost as much of a chatterbox as Katy herself. _Probably a requirement_ , Emmett mused.

The second Emmett inquired after Greek life, Cameron's face lit up. "I'm in Gamma Delta Tau, the biggest, and bestest if you ask me, fraternity on campus."

Emmett nodded. "The girl who helped me when I first arrived, Katy, said the same thing."

"Katy is in our sister sorority, so I'm glad to hear she's plugging us. We organize a lot of events together, trips, parties, that sort of thing. You should totally rush for GDT, you seem like a cool guy," Cameron explained, genuine excitement taking over his freckled face as he spoke.

"I'll look into it," Emmett promised. When they arrived at the room, they found a tense-looking Jasper jiggling the key in the lock. "You need some help there?"

Jasper turned around a little too quickly, letting his eyes slide from Emmett to Cameron and back. He took a step back to allow Emmett to jam his own key into the lock. "I'm Jasper, by the way," he mumbled.

Emmett grinned. "Yeah, I hope so, otherwise I'm already being burgled before I've even moved in." He laughed harder about the joke than it deserved, trying to infuse Jasper with some of his good mood.

Jasper relaxed a little, and found it within himself to nod at Cameron. "Hey, what's up."

Cameron jumped back into his welcoming role and introduced himself enthusiastically: "Great to meet you, I'm Cameron. I'll leave you guys to it, but I'm sure I'll see you around." As he walked away, he turned around and pointed at Emmett. "Don't forget, recruitment is next week! Hope to see you both there."

Emmett gave him a thumbs-up and pushed the door open, pulling Jasper and his suitcases into the room. He examined the small space, the two beds they wouldn't be using, and the desks they might. "How are you holding up?" he asked his brother.

Jasper shrugged, but didn't manage to shake off the overwhelmed look in his eyes. "I've been better, but I've also been worse."

Emmett clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine, Jazz. You've come a long way since the Bella incident, and we wouldn't be here if we didn't think you could handle it. Rose or I, and later Alice, can be with you at almost all hours of the day until you're more comfortable. We'll take care of you." Emmett hoped Jasper would be able to feel how genuine he was about the subject; he was never certain what counted as an emotion in his book.

His words seemed to have the desired effect, and Jasper threw an arm around his shoulder. "As long as I get to watch you and Rose create the most dramatic love story in history, I think I'll be okay. Which frat was that Cameron in, by the way? Rosalie already has her eye on a sorority some very excited girl recommended to her."

"That wouldn't happen to be my girl Katy?" Emmett asked, and, when Jasper nodded, he continued: "Cameron's in the fraternity associated with her sorority, so I think things will work out perfectly."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Emmett opened it to find Esme waiting. "I'm about to leave, but just wanted to say goodbye," she explained, pushing past him into the room. "Carlisle doesn't have a good reason to drop by, but he just wants you to know he will not hesitate to fly across the country at the drop of a hat to smack you both if you do something stupid to expose us."

Jasper crossed his arms and smirked. "I assume that doesn't just apply to Carlisle?"

Esme shot him a strict look. "Of course not. Please, please be careful, but also try and have some fun while you're here." She stretched out her arms, and Emmett and Jasper curled themselves into her gentle grip. They were a head taller than she was, but something about the tightness with which she held them made Emmett feel safe, and the soft contentment Jasper projected made him think his brother agreed.

"Okay," Esme said after a few moments, stepping back and putting a hand on her sons' cheeks. "Behave, look after the girls, or, let them look after you probably, and, if you need anything, just call me or Carlisle, okay?"

Emmett grinned. "Oh, you mean Jasper's twin sister's roommate's family member? Sure, that's not weird at all."

Esme gave him an exasperated look but still couldn't stop a smile from appearing on her lips. "Yeah, that guy. Jasper's twin sister's roommate seemed nice, so I'm sure she would be willing to give you his number. He was very well-mannered just now, and I've heard he's a wealthy surgeon."

Jasper raised his eyebrows, pretending to be impressed. "He sounds like quite the catch. Maybe we should get his number anyway, for you?"

Esme giggled softly, a sound Emmett usually didn't associate with his mother. Jasper probably wasn't the only one who was nervous about this plan. "Maybe you should." She gave them one final hug and disappeared through the door.

"So," Emmett said, turning back to his brother with a big grin, "are you ready to make this our best year yet?"

Jasper sighed, the tired look in his eyes reminding Emmett of their father. "Not really, but let's do it anyway."


	3. Grizzlies rule!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

That evening, Jasper followed Emmett, who was overflowing with so much excitement Jasper thought he could feel his own non-existent heartbeat race, to the Mary Anderson Hall, where the freshman introduction would take place. The arched doorways and Gothic spires made the place look like Yale if it was designed by someone who was just slightly less stable and slightly more obsessed with evoking an old-world feel than the person responsible for that Old Campus. Jasper found it incredibly over-dramatic- and quite pretty to look at.

When they entered the building, though, he became absolutely positive that he had died for real and been sent to his own personal version of hell. The hall was swarming with JAU's 1500 freshmen, and every single one of them (with four notable exceptions) had warm blood thundering through their veins, begging him to come and have a taste; and, every single one of them was a ball of conflicting emotions as they looked out over the cliff that was the start of their college career. In the first five seconds, he felt anxiety, happiness, anger, loneliness, lust, and confusion wash over him in wave after wave of horror. He assumed this was what it would taste like if humans mixed together twenty different sodas; you could still sense the individual flavors, but it all mashed together into one big Something, and the more you drank, the more you became convinced you really didn't like that Something.

He looked around for anything to stabilize himself, and spotted the flash of Rosalie's blonde hair across the room. Alice stood by her side, and looked up and met his eyes, giving him a small, sympathetic smile. They were accompanied by two other girls, one of whom Jasper recognized as the lavender-haired May, and the other one had long brown hair in a thick braid and large black glasses.

Emmett led Jasper to a pair of seats in the back of the hall and put a hand on Jasper's arm, trying his best to keep himself calm. Jasper's power became stronger with physical touch, and he could see that this was simply one of Emmett's small ways of taking care of him. It helped only a little, since Emmett's barely contained excitement hit Jasper like a brick to the face. Still, it was better than the thirst that was slowly taking over his body, so he allowed Emmett's happiness to engulf him until he, too, found himself looking forward to this experience.

The people around them found seats and quieted down as a woman in a pin-striped pencil skirt and a JAU T-shirt (a combination Jasper was certain Alice had many opinions about) climbed the stage at the front of the hall and introduced herself. "First of all, new freshmen, welcome to James Anderson University! My name is Tamara Fredericks, I'm the dean of the school, and I do hope you'll have an amazing four years here." Jasper focused on her emotions, and found the interesting combination of genuity and intense exhaustion he had previously only encountered in Charlie Swan on the day of his daughter's wedding. "Since all of your class information is posted online nowadays, I mainly wanted to inform you that I'm always available if you need help. My office is located on the green and I have two assistants who will be able to direct your questions towards the proper channels. If necessary, however, you're always welcome to come and talk to me. Now, as you may be aware, Greek life is a big part of JAU, and for a special introduction to that aspect of the university, I will now hand you over to the presidents of sorority Alpha Kappa Theta and fraternity Gamma Delta Tau, Laurel Spencer and Aidan Daniels!"

A polite scattering of applause came from the freshmen in the room as a girl and boy Jasper could have identified as the presidents of Greek life organizations from a distance took the stage. Laurel Spencer was an auburn-haired beauty queen with a heart-shaped face and a kind smile on her full lips. Her outfit would probably be Alice-approved, as the blue dress complimented her eyes. She had limited her JAU pride to a simple scarf, and Jasper made a mental note to bring one home for his father. Aidan Daniels was athletically built, Jasper estimated him to be around his own height, with brown skin and black buzzed hair. He was wearing a JAU T-shirt but, combined with dark blue jeans, it didn't look out of place on him like it had on the dean.

"Hello everyone," they said together, before Aidan continued the speech on his own. "It's great to see so many fresh faces here. Welcome to JAU from the local chapters, I hope you're all excited to be grizzlies!" Several people in the audience, Emmett included, whooped loudly at the statement, which earned them a broad grin from Aidan, whose handsome face became even prettier when he smiled. "You better start working on your roars before the kick-off game of this season in two weeks. It's a home game, so there will be plenty of opportunity to support the players." A louder cheer came from the audience, and Aidan began a classic move of making them go even louder by pretending it wasn't enough. By the end, the roar thundered through the hall and Aidan had them wrapped around his finger. Jasper was impressed; the young man had an overload of natural charisma, and Jasper couldn't help but wonder whether Aidan's vampire gift would be similar to his own. "Alright, baby grizzlies, settle down, settle down," Aidan laughed. "Save it for the game! We're here to inform you about the recruitment that starts next week. You obviously don't have to participate in rush, but, if you're even a little inclined, we would very much recommend you give it a try. It's a great way to make friends and become part of a family. It's, as the kids would call it, lit!"

Jasper and Emmett exchanged a confused look as the students around them laughed, in on a joke they had no idea Aidan had made. Jasper slid his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick message to Renesmee, their first point of contact about this sort of thing: _If something is going to be 'lit', should we be worried, or are they not actually going to set this place on fire?_ She replied instantaneously, explaining he didn't have to worry about it, and Jasper relaxed a little.  
When the laughter had quieted down, Aidan said: "For the more practical side of things, I will now hand you over to my lovely colleague Laurel."

Laurel nodded at Aidan and stepped up to the microphone. "As Aidan already said, a very warm welcome to JAU. The introduction week is also rush week, and school and Greek life activities have been planned so that it's possible to participate in both." Laurel's musical voice continued to explain the different days of rush, and Jasper allowed his attention to wander through the hall. He was certain Emmett, who was listening intently, would remember every single word of the speech, and drag him along to whatever place they needed to go at whatever time they needed to be there. He once again found Alice in the crowd, sitting a few rows in front of him on the other side of the hall, and tried to find her emotions by wading through the marsh of other students'. It took him some time, but he managed to pick out her familiar emotional pallet and wrapped himself in the soft happiness that she always exuded. It was nice, a familiar needle in a haystack of strangers. She, like Emmett, was excited about the situation and so, surprisingly, was Rosalie, who sat next to her. Usually, Jasper could find a reflection of his own anxiety in Rosalie, as the Hale twins tended to be slightly less excited about crazy plans than the Cullen siblings (no matter what names they decided to go by). Still, Rosalie was buzzing almost as much as Alice.

Laurel ended her to-the-point explanation of next week's schedule by grabbing Aidan's hand and holding them up as they yelled "Grizzlies rule!" together. Emmett's booming voice, and several other students, echoed the cry, the words bouncing around the brick walls. Aidan explained that they were welcome to go into the next room for the welcome party, where there would be snacks, drinks, and opportunities to mingle with the other new students.

Emmett dragged Jasper towards the other room in the tidal wave of students going the same direction and grabbed them both a drink, despite the fact that they had no use for it. Music played softly from some speakers in the corner, but it was nothing Jasper recognized.

"Can we go talk to the girls now?" Jasper whispered to his brother.

Emmett had a pensive look on his face, but shook his head decisively. "It's too early. I want to give Rose a dramatic first meeting at a frat party, but we first need to be in a frat to make that work. Let's just do something crazy and talk to some people. I know blending with the student body usually isn't our style, but there's a first time for everything."

Jasper sighed, then nodded. "Whatever you say, boss. Lead the way." Then, he let Emmett pull him into the crowd of people as his more social brother tried, for the first time in a very long while, to make some new friends.


	4. Dress to impress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

Alice had never been happier she didn't have to sleep, since, the night before rush week started, she was so excited she was certain she couldn't have managed it. Over the weekend, Rosalie and herself have avoided the boys, and instead spent time getting to know their neighbor May and her roommate Kristen. May hadn't been planning on rushing, but the other girls' enthusiasm had convinced her quickly.

On the morning of round one, Alice stood in front of her disappointingly small wardrobe, visions of herself in different outfits and the reactions she would get flashing through her mind. It was an aspect of her gift many people scoffed at, since most weren't aware of the importance of wearing the right outfit for the right situation. She was still proud of the fact that the first time Bella had ever seen Edward, he had been wearing the magnificent pea coat she had picked out for him, instead of the windbreaker he had tried to grab that morning. No way the girl she suspected to be his future wife would think he didn't have class.

Luckily for her, outfits were actually incredibly important during sorority rush week. She had thought about going with a classic little black dress, but a look into her future told her it would be too dressy and make her stand out more than she wanted to. Instead, she pulled out a simple white blouse and a pair of flats, hesitating for a moment when choosing the skirt. She wasn't sure why, but reached for a blue-and-brown plaid one; if her intuition told her that was the right one, she would trust it, even if she didn't know the reason yet. She accessorized with a simple gold necklace while mourning the fact that she didn't have pierced ears (and hadn't yet figured out how to do that on vampires), leaving her engagement ring in its box; it would be too much for today.

Rosalie had taken her directions about not being overdressed, and wore jeans and a nice lilac top. Alice checked her visions and pulled a pair of silver hoops out of Rosalie's jewelry box.

"They'll complete the look," she promised, and her sister smiled and put them in. "How are you feeling about all this?" Alice asked as Rosalie admired her reflection in the mirror. Out of all of them, Rosalie missed being human the most, and rushing for a sorority was about as close to being a normal eighteen-year-old girl as one could get.

The glimmer in Rosalie's eyes told Alice about her emotions before her sister spoke. "I'm excited, but also a little nervous," she admitted. "I know you said we'll get into Alpha Kappa Theta, but what if we make a horrible mistake this week and they decide they don't want us after all?"

She bit her lip and Alice took her hands in her own. "Rosie, I promise I will watch my visions and personally tackle you to the ground before you make a horrible mistake, okay? And then hope our future sisters don't mind that too much." Rosalie's tense face dissolved into a bright laugh, and Alice pulled her towards their door. "Come on, or we'll be late."

In the hallway, May and Kristen looked like they had had almost as little sleep as Alice and Rosalie. May's lavender hair was straightened, and brushed her exposed collarbones that were shown off in her off-the-shoulder top. Kristen had braided her dark hair in a crown around her head and was wearing brown trousers and a white blouse similar to Alice's. She looked like she should be lying in an English field, reading poetry and drinking Rosé, not rushing for a sorority in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire, which was generally the look she went for.

"You guys excited?" Alice chirped.

Kristen nodded and May shrugged, looking both pumped and terrified. "I'm still not sure this is for me, but let's see how it goes."

"It'll be fun, May," Kristen insisted. "Worst comes to worst, you can tell your grandchildren about the time your horrible friends made you rush for a sorority and you almost died in your first week of college."

May rolled her eyes as Alice and Rosalie chuckled. "Shall we?" Rosalie asked, and the four girls hooked arms as they made their way down the hall.

Outside, they met a group of around fifteen girls, with whom they would go through this experience. There were eight groups since there were eight sororities on campus, and, during this first round, they would visit all the houses and talk to a few members. Alice couldn't put names to the faces of the freshmen, but there was a girl in the crowd she recognized from her visions, who was wearing a black T-shirt that read _Rho Gamma: your rush week mama!_

The girl's face lit up when she recognized Rosalie standing in the crowd and made her way through the group towards them. "Good morning!" she sparkled, and Alice could see in May's face she felt no one should be that happy this early in the morning. The girl introduced herself as Katy and then turned towards Rosalie. "Good to see you again. Still got your eye on Alpha Kappa Theta?"

Rosalie nodded and gave her name so Katy could cross her off the list, followed by Alice, May, and Kristen. "Are you in Alpha Kappa Theta?" Alice asked. She didn't need to, but was aware she would become great friends with Katy, and wanted to get a head start.

Katy sighed dramatically. "Not right now, but, usually, yes. As your Rho Gamma, I'm currently not affiliated with my own chapter." She walked back to the front of the group and clapped her hands, causing the soft murmur of voices to come to a halt as the girls turned towards her. "Welcome everyone to the first round of rush week, the Open House!" Several girls whooped, and Katy smiled. "Today, I will lead you to each of the eight sorority houses, where you will talk to a few members and get a feel for the place. Keep your eyes and ears open, because, at the end of the day, you'll have to write down the five houses you liked the most. If you have any questions or need help, please do ask me. As your Rho Gamma, I'm here for you. Now, are we ready?"

The group cheered, and Katy led them to Greek Row, where the sorority houses lined one side of the street, and the fraternities the other. With her keen vampire eyes, Alice could just pick out Emmett's bulky form and Jasper's blond hair further down the Row. She exchanged a look with her sister that told her Rosalie, too, had spotted them, before they turned back to Katy, who was giving them a quick introduction to the sorority they were in front of. Alice could feel the excitement rising in her throat, filling her body from her toes to the crown of her head. _It's starting_ , she thought.

Alpha Kappa Theta was the last house on their list and, by then, even Alice and Rosalie were exhausted, despite the fact that their bodies were physically incapable of feeling tired. They stayed at every house for an hour, talking to three or four girls about the same topics over and over again: what's your name, where are you from, what's your major, what do you like to do for fun? May and Kristen were faring much worse than Rosalie and Alice, since they had human concerns like thirst, physical exhaustion, and painful feet to contend with. May looked like this entire adventure may be the worst decision of her life, and Kristen's gleaming eyes had a tired sheen over them.

Katy turned to face her group in front of the house, a classic northeastern mansion hung with Alpha Kappa Theta banners. The banners featured the letters of the sorority's name, as well as their crest: a blue-and-brown spotted feather. Alice looked down at her skirt approvingly.

"And, finally, welcome to Alpha Kappa Theta!" Katy exclaimed, enthusiasm still as sharp as that morning despite the long day behind them. The doors opened to reveal thirty girls, clapping and screaming, some jumping up and down in enthusiasm. Laurel Spencer, whom Alice recognized from her speech the first night, stepped forwards, the girls quieting down as she did. She was dressed in a T-shirt with the sorority crest, and was lucky enough that it looked good with her hair and eyes. The poor president a few houses down had blonde hair the exact same color as the yellow of her T-shirt.

"It's so nice to see all of you," Laurel said with a happy yet tired smile. "Come in, come in." The group made its way through the door and into a by now familiar scene. The sisters grabbed each girl that came through the door, dragging them into the dining and sitting rooms adjacent to the entrance. Alice was taken by a small, brown haired girl whose keen eyes made her look like a mischievous fairy.

She and Alice sat down opposite each other, and the girl read her name tag and took down her name. "Mary Alice Brandon? Where are you from?" she asked, her voices betraying only a hint of tiredness.

Alice smiled. "Just call me Alice, I'm from Biloxi, Mississippi." It felt strange to claim the hometown she hadn't been aware of until recently as her own. She had been a Cullen for so long, that the Brandon identity still fit her like a dress she knew was made for her but just didn't feel quite right.

"Nice to meet you Alice, I'm Ashley," the girl answered, noting down the place in the round handwriting that seemed to characterize twenty-first-century girls. "And it's nice to see another southern girl here, I'm from Jacksonville, Florida myself. What brings you up north then?"

Alice flicked through her visions at break-neck speed as she thought about the different answers she could give. Should she say this was a better school for her major? No, that was a lie, and Ashley would know. How about bringing up her difficult family? Nope, too serious for the first round. She craned her ears for a moment and listened to what Rosalie, on the other side of the room, was saying: "I'm doing mechanical engineering. My dad says that's not for girls, but, hey, what does he know?" _Good one, the girl across from her had the same experience when she decided to major in astrophysics_.

She directed her focus back to Ashley and answered: "I guess I just wanted a change, you know. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in who others think we are that we forget who we want to be." She realized she hadn't checked her visions for that particular, rather vulnerable, answer, but Ashley seemed to appreciate her honesty.

"I know exactly what you mean," she said. "What are you majoring in?"

"Fashion design," Alice answered, excitement rushing through her. She had taken it before, but was interested to see how recent technological advancements had changed the familiar course. She hoped she would get a chance to work with digital designing besides drawing by hand as she was used to. "It's always been a passion of mine. I made this skirt myself, for example."

Ashley nodded appreciatively. "That's very cool. Laurel does fashion design, actually, she's the reason we've got a few sewing machines in the house now." Alice could feel her face light up instinctively, and Ashley giggled softly at the sight.

At that moment, a hand appeared on Ashley's shoulder, and a soft voice said: "Ash, maybe I should take over for a moment." Before Alice knew it, Laurel Spencer herself was seated across from her, looking her in the eye for a long moment before glancing quickly at Ashley's notes. "Mississippi? Nice, I've been looking to recruit a few more southern girls, but the pickings are slim up here. I'm from Pensacola, so that's pretty close to Biloxi. Have you been?"

Alice shook her head. "No, but I've heard it's gorgeous." Complimenting someone's hometown was always a good way to go.

Laurel looked at her with a hint of suspicion Alice couldn't place, but that vanished when she read on. "And you study fashion design? Me too!" She pointed at the shorts she was wearing. "I made these to match the brown in the crest. It's such an odd color combination for a sorority. I would have preferred pink, if I'm being completely honest."

Alice laughed; finally, someone who spoke her language. "I like it, it's very mature, and it goes well with any skin tone and hair color. The yellow is quite in your face."

Laurel made a face that screamed 'the only reason I don't start roasting some other sorority right now is that I'm a professional', and said: "You're right, all the girls look great in our colors. You really have an eye for it." Alice shrugged and smiled a little, knowing she would be blushing if she could. A buzzer rang signalling it was the end of their time and Laurel got up. "It was nice to talk to you, Alice. I hope to see you again."

"Right back at ya," Alice fired back.

The next two girls asked Alice similar questions as Ashley had, and quickly they were standing outside again, where Katy made them put down their top five houses on her clipboard. Alice, Rosalie, May, and Kristen all put Alpha Kappa Theta at the top. May had found, in the third girl she talked to, a similar soul, and was quickly coming around to the idea that sororities weren't actually full of empty-headed girls who only liked to party and talk about boys.

When they got back to their dorm rooms after a quick stop at the dining hall, where Alice and Rosalie pushed their food around as the other two ate, May let out a loud sigh. "And we do it again tomorrow? I feel like I need to sleep for a week straight, at least."

Kristen giggled and patted her roommate on the back. "No, my dear. No sleep for the wicked."


	5. Boy talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

Emmett was lying on his bed and listening to the sound of Jasper in their en suite shower when Edward's video call came in. Nessie had taught them all how to use smartphones a few years ago, and Edward had immediately taken to video calling, since it was a good way to 'see someone's face without having to endure their thoughts too'.

It was four in the morning, but concerns like proper sleeping hours bothered vampires about as little as college students, and Emmett had gotten ready for round 2 of fraternity rush, when they would revisit five houses. Gamma Delta Tau was on the list for both himself and Jasper, and he suspected that, in a house filled with good-smelling young men and testosterone, his brother was relying heavily on a little emotional manipulation to push him through this process. Emmett himself had gone the old-fashioned rout of trying to find something in common with the people he talked to, and had classified the hopefully future brothers as following: Mark who Was Also from the Appalachian even though He Was West Virginian; Gym Rat who Asked Emmett about His Workout Routine and Probably Told Him His Name but even Vampire Memory Cannot Supply It, and Brad (?), a Fellow History Major (Emmett had picked the same major as Jasper to keep an eye on him).

Emmett managed to answer Edward's phone call after a few tries, and was greeted by his brother's forehead. He clearly wasn't the only one who found it difficult to work with modern technology. "What's up, Eddie," Emmett said.

Edward backed up a little, so Emmett could now see his eyes and nose as well. "Not much, how are things on your end? How's fraternity rush?"

"Pretty good! I've made some friends and Jasper is cheating his way through recruitment," Emmett answered.

"You wanna switch, wise guy?" Jasper, coming into the room in his boxer shorts, threw at Emmett's head.

Emmett was distracted for a moment by the way his brother's scars glittered in the few strokes of morning sunlight coming in through the blinds, but quickly shook off the chill that always overtook his body when he saw them, hopefully before Jasper noticed. "You're doing great," he said. "And, so far, the guys have been genuinely nice. Win-win!"

Jasper raised an eyebrow with a face that screamed 'I don't think that's what win-win means', but didn't comment. "There was one we both talked to, the history major, he was great," he said, buttoning up a green shirt Emmett was certain Alice had instructed him to wear, since it complemented his coloring perfectly. "Brayden, I think his name was."

"Brayden, that's it!" Emmett exclaimed. "I was thinking Brad"

Edward chuckled. "Vampire memory abandons you during rush?"

Emmett sighed dramatically. "I've met more people in the past 24 hour period than in the entire century preceding it."

"Rather you than me," Edward mumbled, and the conversation turned to a general discussion of how the rest of the family was doing.

Later that morning but still way too early for the average human, judging from the looks on the faces of the boys around them, Emmett and Jasper met up with the rest of their group. When they joined the others, the boy they had been talking to the most yesterday, Troy, waved them over. Emmett clapped Troy on the shoulder in greeting, while Jasper simply nodded, sticking to the edge of the group. Troy was a little shorter than Emmett and Jasper, but broadly built and muscular, with tan skin, black hair, and hooded dark eyes that twinkled out at the world. His roommate wasn't rushing, and Emmett had been more than happy to adopt him, since he was easy to talk to and one of those people that seemed to make the cloudy New Hampshire sky brighter just by his presence.

"You guys ready for day two?" Troy asked, grinning from ear to ear. Emmett saw Jasper relax a little as he took in some of Troy's good mood. That was another great reason to keep Troy around: he had the same calming influence on Jasper as Alice did.

"Totally," Jasper answered, smiling back.

At that moment, their Rho Gamma, who had turned out to be Cameron, the boy Emmett had met on move-in day, walked over to their little group. "Here come dat boi!" Troy said enthusiastically.

Cameron laughed. "Oh shit waddup!" Troy and Cameron burst into laughter, and Emmett and Jasper joined them, even though Emmett could see in his brother's face he had just as little idea what was so funny as Emmett himself. Cameron gave them each a sheet of paper. "Here are your schedules for today. You've all got the same one, so you'll be able to make your way together."

Emmett nodded and slid his phone out of his pocket, composing a quick text to his niece: _Who the hell is 'dat boi' and why is he coming?_

She answered with a bunch of crying-laughing emojis and a link to a page explaining the 'meme', which, in Emmett's time, was just called a joke. He didn't understand why it was funny, but memorized it anyway; may come in handy later.

Their group followed Cameron to Greek Row, where round 2 started. It still included talking to a few brothers, but they also got tours of the houses, which was quite the overwhelming experience. The average frat seemed to have about as much money as the Cullen family, and the houses were exquisitely furnished and decorated, usually in the frat's colors. Emmett put the information they were told about the frats' activities in his vampire memory with infinite storage, once again grateful that was one of the features that came along with the blood lust and the eternal damnation.

Gamma Delta Tau was the last on their list and, like yesterday, Aidan Daniels welcomed them with open arms, wearing a T-shirt with the fraternity crest on it: a green maple leaf against a burgundy background.

When they entered, Emmett was pulled aside by a boy he remembered Jasper talking to yesterday, but he couldn't put a name to his face. "Welcome back," the boy said as he sat down opposite Emmett, brushing auburn hair out of his face. "Emmett, right? I heard from Mark you were from Tennessee, so I just had to talk to you myself. You're the only other person from there I've ever run into up here. I'm Robert, by the way."

Emmett smiled. "Gatlinburg, born and raised," he said, but didn't add that all happened about a century ago. "How about you?"

"I'm from London, it's basically four streets that we've decided is a town now, deep in the forest," Robert explained. "You miss it?"

Emmett thought about it for a moment. "A little," he admitted. "I mainly miss my family, but I'm looking forward to finding myself some more brothers."

Robert nodded, but had written down nothing besides Emmett's name and hometown so far. "Do you come from a large family?"

Emmett decided to answer for his human family, not the vampire one, although the answers were fairly similar. "Oh, yeah," he laughed. "Four brothers and three sisters, I'm the third oldest."

Robert scribbled something down in absolutely illegible handwriting. "And what are you majoring in, Emmett?" The conversation continued to Emmett's love for history (which was largely made-up, but 'my roommate may kill someone and I'm trying to be there to stop him' didn't seem a good topic for the present moment'), and his decision to rush. After Robert, Emmett talked to two more boys, before he met back up with the rest of the group for the house tour, led by Aidan himself.

"As you're probably aware, Gamma Delta Tau is the largest fraternity on campus, closely connected to the sorority across the road, Alpha Kappa Theta," Aidan started, and dove head-first into a short history of the frat, as well as their extensive charity work throughout the state of New Hampshire, which primarily focused on forest and wildlife preservation. _It's almost as if this place is made for us_ , Emmett thought. _An excuse to go into the forest and hunt is really all we need_. The tour covered the library and the lounge, where a few brothers were decoratively doing homework and watching sports on a flat screen TV, as well as a few bedrooms that housed two brothers in each, and looked like a nicer version of the dorm Emmett and Jasper currently inhabited.

At the end of the day, when they were saying goodbye to Troy in front of the dorm building, the other boy turned towards Emmett and Jasper. "Do you guys have a preference? Cause I certainly do."

Emmett grinned at him. "Let's all say it together. One, two, three, Gamma Delta Tau!" The last three words sounded in a chorus of their three voices, and they laughed, even Jasper sounding genuine instead of the usual pinched sound he made when he didn't want to breathe too much.

Troy waved at them and walked in the direction of his dorm. "See you tomorrow!" he called over his shoulder.

Emmett turned to his brother. "I would almost say I think you're enjoying it," he teased.

Jasper elbowed him in the ribs, harder than a human would be comfortable with, but soft enough that it didn't bother Emmett in the slightest. "I just might be."


	6. This is probably funny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

On the morning of day three, Rosalie had finally adopted Alice's optimistic view on their chances of getting into Alpha Kappa Theta. The day before, she had talked to three new girls, including Laurel Spencer herself. They had immediately dived into a discussion about car maintenance, since Laurel turned out to be just as obsessed with her Mercedes Convertible as Rosalie was with her BMW. Laurel's excited face when Rosalie had offered to check out the motor for her must have been a good sign, right?

The activities started in the afternoon, which meant Rosalie bolted off when the morning introduction to her major had ended, and met Alice back at their dorm to get ready. Alice warned the dress code was a little more formal, so Rosalie picked out a white sundress with a big rose pattern on it, and some nude block heels. Alice, too, wore a sundress, but hers was navy, with a much smaller white floral pattern. It fit her so perfectly Rosalie knew she must have made it herself, something Alice did a lot.

Outside, they met up with May and Kristen, who wore outfits similar to Rosalie and Alice's, but with their own spins on it. May leaned towards simple, modern silhouettes in black, white, and gray, while Kristen's general aesthetic was English university student in the 1920s.

May looked more relaxed today, and Rosalie put an arm around her shoulders. "Are you feeling better about all this?"

May nodded. "I'm looking forward to the skits, I've heard they're hilarious. Plus, the more I talk to them, the more I think sorority girls may be just people after all."

The other three giggled, and they left the building to join their group, where Katy handed them their schedules. There were only three sororities left and, like both days before, Alpha Kappa Theta was the last on their list for all four of them. Alice insisted this was a good thing, and Rosalie knew better than to argue with her sister. May and Kristen, too, seemed to trust Alice almost intuitively, taking her advice on what to wear and where to go. People may think Alice was strange, and they weren't entirely wrong, but they overall liked her more than they liked Rosalie.

"If you don't already have a clear preference, the skits are a great way to get to know the personalities of the different sororities," Katy sparkled from the front of the group. Even though she had dark circles under her eyes, her energy was still absolutely unmatched, and Rosalie wondered how much coffee Katy consumed on a daily basis. "Every sorority will put on a skit, a little show, to tell you something about themselves, but also to make you laugh. Enjoy!"

Rosalie and Alice separated from May and Kristen on Greek Row, and made their way over to the end of the street. At that moment, Rosalie spotted a familiar head of blond hair across the road, accompanied by a boy she didn't recognize; Emmett was nowhere to be seen.

In an impulse, she grabbed Alice's arm. "Hold on," she said, and ran across the street to Jasper, leaving Alice obediently waiting in front of the house.

"Jazz!" Rosalie called, and Jasper turned around. He looked surprisingly relaxed, despite the boy standing close to him.

"Hey Rosie," he said, giving her a quick hug. "Troy, this is my twin sister, Rosalie. Rose, this is Troy."

"Hi," Rosalie said to Troy, and he shot her a big, genuine smile, that gave her a clue as to where the calm happiness Jasper was exuding was coming from. "How are you doing?" she asked Jasper, hoping he knew she wasn't just asking him about rush.

"Surprisingly well," he answered. "It's been challenging sometimes, but I'm pushing through. It'll be worth it in the end." She couldn't suppress a smile; she needn't have worried, of course Jasper had known exactly what she meant.

Troy, however, laughed at Jasper's serious face. "It's really not that bad, your brother's just a little over-dramatic."

"Runs in the family," she said with a shrug. "I have to get back to my roommate and our schedule, but I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"

Jasper nodded and Rosalie jogged back across the street. With her vampire hearing, she just heard Troy say: "Man, your sister can run in heels in like that? My mom always says those kinda women are the most dangerous."

"You have no idea," Jasper answered, and Rosalie grinned as she pulled Alice into the first sorority house of the day.

By the time they met up with May and Kristen in front of Alpha Kappa Theta, Rosalie and Alice were more confused than they had ever been in their entire lives. The sororities' skits were made with the pop culture knowledge of the average twenty-first-century girl in mind, not for two vampires just over a century old who were still getting the hang of how mobile phones worked. They told their friends the skits they had seen were 'okay', which was the most fair review they could offer; the girls around them had enjoyed them, but the shows had been witch riddles to Rosalie and Alice.

Before the skit started, however, they were once again all pulled aside by an Alpha Kappa Theta girl they hadn't spoken to before. Rosalie's questioner of the day was a blonde girl, a little taller than Rosalie, with intensely dark blue, almost violet eyes. They reminded Rosalie so much of the eyes that had characterized her father's side of her human family that she froze for a moment, before shifting into her 'please recruit me'-mode.

"Rosalie, right?" the girl said in a musical voice. When Rosalie nodded, she introduced herself: "Nice to meet you, I'm Lillian. Funny, Rosalie is my middle name. How have you been liking rush so far, Rosalie?"

A few alarm bells went off in Rosalie's head at the appearance of a girl named Lillian Rosalie with Rosalie's own human eyes, but she pushed them out of her mind until later. "It's been really fun, I've loved getting to know everybody," she said, honestly. "I mean, it's been exhausting, but in the best way possible. Definitely a week to never forget." And that was saying something, given she had over a century of weeks behind her and many more ahead.

Lillian nodded and asked some more questions, but, soon enough, Rosalie met up with the rest of the group for the skit. Rosalie found Alice in the audience of girls sitting on the floor, and dropped down next to her sister.

"A complication may have arisen," she whispered to Alice. "You see the blonde girl in the corner? Her name is Lillian, her middle name is Rosalie, and she has eyes that look remarkably like mine when I was human."

Alice bit her lip, and Rosalie could see she was flicking through some visions. After a few moments, she shrugged. "I don't see any problems from her side, and both Lillian and Rosalie are pretty common names. Even if she is related, there's not way she could recognize you, unless she's also a hundred years old. Let's just get through this last skit. I'll elbow you in the ribs when we're supposed to laugh, okay?" Rosalie nodded, but didn't share her sister's calm attitude. If the Hale family was known for one quality, that was a stubborn refusal to forgive and forget, so Lillian would have heard of Rosalie's disappearance, were she indeed related.

Rosalie's attention was distracted when the lights in the room were dimmed, except for one that was aimed at the space in front of the audience. Laurel stepped up alone, wearing her sorority T-shirt, that looked a little out of place in combination with the plastic golden laurel wreath that winked at the crowd from her auburn hair.

"As you may have discovered by now," Laurel said sagely, the narrator that would connect the parts of the skit, "we're not a regular sorority. We're a cool sorority." Alice elbowed Rosalie and they laughed with the other girls, who seemed to get the joke. "And, being a cool sorority, the sisterhood is what we focus on. Therefore, I have the honor of presenting: the Alpha Kappa Theta girl-power hall of fame. Because who run the world? Theta girls!"

Laurel stepped off to the side as the music started and five girls, all in tight black clothing with golden jewelry, entered and started a dance Rosalie would have deemed impossible for human women in heels like that. The movements were snappy and militaristic as they sang along to the music: _Who run the world? Theta girls! Who run the world? Theta girls!_ Next to Rosalie and an equally confused Alice, May and Kristen seemed familiar with the song, cheering and singing along with the rest of the group.

When the music stopped, the girls ran off the stage and Laurel came back, joining the audience in their applause. "Thank you, Queen B," she said, after the room had quieted down. "Now, besides being kick-ass, we're also truly a family here at Alpha Kappa Theta. Theta sisters, after all, stick together." The screams that this elicited from the girls around her told Rosalie this was a reference they should definitely understand, but the music that started playing was unfamiliar to her.

Four girls, these dressed in brightly colored sweatsuits, ran onto the stage, and Rosalie recognized Lillian in yellow. They, too, were dancing and singing, although the style was completely different from the first song. _We're Theta sisters, we stick together, we make up one big family though we don't look the same_. After the first few lines, the audience, with two notable exceptions, screamed along to every single line.

At the end of the song, Laurel came back to introduce the next part. "We are Theta sisters, and, therefore, we will help you become the boss you were always supposed to be."

At that, Rosalie was once again immersed in unfamiliar music and lyrics, flowing through the room as five more girls ran on, again in impossibly high heels, but they were wearing white. _You're talking to a lady, an Alpha Kappa Theta you best beha-ave_ , Rosalie caught from the lyrics. Alice seemed to be getting into it, and mouthed _boss_ along with the rest of the audience a few times.

When the song ended, however, the girls didn't leave the stage, but were instead joined by the rest of the sorority. "Now, this final part requires a little bit of audience participation," Laurel announced. _Please be something I know, please be something I know_ , Rosalie prayed mentally. "I assume you're all familiar with _Wannabe_ by The Spice Girls?" Alice and Rosalie exchanged an excited glance. Jessica Stanley and Angela Weber had screamed along to every single line of that song on the dance floor at Edward and Bella's wedding, and, thanks to her vampire memory, Rosalie was able to dredge up the lyrics from the pile of unnecessary information she had gathered over the years.

The girls on the stage looked at each other and started clapping out a rhythm. There was no music, but it wasn't necessary. "We'll tell you what we want, what we really, really want!" they yelled in unison.

The audience, including an incredibly relieved Rosalie and Alice, answered in turn: "So, tell me what you want, what you, really, really want!"

"We want you, we want you, we want you, we want you, we really really really want you to join!" At every _you_ the girls on the stage pointed into the audience, and Rosalie couldn't suppress a surge of excitement every time one of them looked in her general direction. Maybe she wanted this more than even she had realized until now.


	7. See you soon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

On the morning of the fourth and final day of recruitment, Jasper was certain that agreeing to join Emmett in this plan was both the best and worst decision he had ever made in his entire existence; and that was saying something. On the one hand, he was genuinely enjoying meeting the others, and especially Troy was amazing to have around (not just because he was so _happy_ all the time). On the other hand, there seemed to be something about eighteen-year-olds that made them even more attractive than the average human. Jasper wasn't certain whether it was the hormones he could smell in their blood or the general excitement about life they still radiated, but he caught himself staring at a boy's neck veins more than once. He was sure Emmett had noticed, but his brother didn't comment.

That morning, the nervous energy Emmett had been radiating had increased to a level where it felt like Jasper's lungs were filled with water and his limbs with lead, and he just couldn't take it anymore. "Emmett, can you please do something about your nervosity, or shall I do it," Jasper snapped, a bit more aggressive than absolutely necessary. It probably didn't help his state that a lot of the boys on their floor were rushing, and their anxiety seeped through the walls and into Jasper's being.

Emmett looked up from where he had been fiddling with the buttons of his shirt. The dress code today was all black, so Jasper and Emmett looked more ready to go to their internship at a funeral home than fraternity rush. Jasper could see Em try to emotionally reign himself in, and was kind of impressed when the nervosity in the room lowered a tad. It often seemed like Emmett had absolutely no control over himself, but Jasper knew that was all part of his 'hey, I'm a comic relief guy'- act. He sometimes wondered why Emmett had taken that role upon himself, but didn't think the morning of Preference Day was the right time to bring up that topic.

"Sorry," Emmett said. "I may need a little bit of a hand here, if you don't mind. I really want this to work." 

Jasper tilted his head inquiringly to the side as he let his power loose a little, calm energy flooding the room. "Why is this so important to you?" he asked. It was a question that had been bouncing around in his head for a while now. Emmett and Rosalie had a pretty epic love story as it was, and he didn't see why Emmett was so set on improving it.

Emmett eyed him from where he was standing. "Well, first of all, I was getting kind of bored. We really have to create our own entertainment to make this eternal life fun, am I right?" He held out his hand for a high five, but dropped it when Jasper narrowed his eyes at him. There was no way that was all there was to it. Emmett dropped his gaze, avoiding looking at Jasper, as he mumbled: "Don't you think she deserves it?"

Before Jasper could answer, there was a knock on the door, and it was as if Emmett pulled a smiling mask over his face as he opened the door for Troy. Jasper clenched his teeth and followed them into the hallway. Whatever Emmett had meant by that comment, it would have to wait till later.

Gamma Delta Tau was the only fraternity on their list that day, which meant it was truly now or never. Jasper knew his small-talk was below average, but he had been subtly pushing the brothers to make them like him. He was aware this was cheating, but, since the humans around him didn't have to deal with his thirst, he told himself he was merely leveling the playing field a little.

At Gamma Delta Tau, they met up with a group of around fifteen boys, all with levels of excitement and anxiety Jasper had previously only encountered at graduation or right before promposals. They, and the brothers, were all wearing black, really hammering home the undertaker-to-be feel.

Aidan looked more serious than he had on the days before, shaking hands with each person who walked in and exchanging a few words with most of them. Jasper pressed Aidan's hand, hard enough the man would think Jasper was confident, but not so hard he broke a few fingers.

"Welcome back," Aidan said. "Jasper, right?" When Jasper nodded, he continued: "I heard your sister is rushing across the road. Laurel's very enthusiastic about her."

Jasper quickly searched Aidan's emotions, encountering focus, seriousness, excitement, anxiety, exhaustion, and, strangely enough, an undercurrent of suspicion that increased when he saw Emmett standing behind Jasper, waiting patiently. Jasper smiled at Aidan, trying to alleviate whatever it was that was making Aidan suspicious.   
"Glad to hear that. Rosalie told me Laurel's been very kind." Rosalie hadn't, in fact, told Jasper, but Aidan didn't need to know that.

Jasper moved on and heard Emmett shake Aidan's hand and clap him on the back, as Aidan commented on Emmett's probable prowess at sports. Jasper couldn't suppress a smile as Emmett characterized himself as 'Gatlinburg's athletic jack-of-all-trades'.

A boy Jasper hadn't talked to before grabbed his arm and led him to a pair of chairs on the far side of the living room. He had auburn hair and a slight Appalachian lilt as he introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Robert. What's your name and where are you from?"

"Jasper Hale, I'm from Jacksonville, North Carolina," Jasper answered. As usual, they had thrown a dart at a map of the United States to discover the Hale hometown, as it had turned out to be the easiest way to compromise between two of the most stubborn people in the universe.

Robert took Jasper through a familiar road: Jasper talked briefly about Rosalie (yes, they were pretty close), about his major (he had always been fascinated by the way the past had led to the world they lived in), and about his decision to rush (he wanted to contribute something to college life and get a few brothers). During the entire conversation, Jasper pushed Robert's emotions ever so slightly to the positive side. It wasn't enough for him to notice, but just enough that he would remember the conversation, and Jasper, fondly.

"You must be tired about talking about those subjects by now," Robert said apologetically. "Let's move on to the more interesting stuff."  
Jasper smiled. "I really don't mind, it's always good to meet new people." A quick glance at the clock told him about fifteen minutes had gone by; he knew the conversation should last about an hour, so he wasn't out of the woods just yet.

Robert nodded and looked down at his notepad. His handwriting was illegible, even to Jasper's vampire eyes, and he could only hope it said something along the lines of _nice guy, should recruit, definitely not a vampire_. "You probably know by now that Gamma Delta Tau is pretty active in the preservation of forest life in New Hampshire. How do you feel about going into the woods?"

"I have absolutely no issue with that," Jasper answered truthfully. After that, Robert took him by the proverbial hand and led him carefully through a conversation about the frat's traditions and values, prodding Jasper at every turn to discover his opinions on the topics. Jasper followed Robert, dutifully jumping over the obstacles he put in Jasper's way, the boy's emotions telling him when he should agree or disagree with something. He couldn't suppress a self-satisfied smirk; he may not be Alice or Edward, but even his gift proved useful every once in a while.

Still, he breathed a sigh of relief when the hour was over, and Robert caught his mood, grinning from ear to ear. "I know it's a lot, but it'll be worth it if you get in, I promise."

Jasper answered his smile. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think so," he answered, as they joined the larger group in the lounge. Jasper spotted Emmett and Troy sitting on the floor and flopped down next to them.

"How did it go?" Emmett prompted.

"Pretty good, he was nice." Jasper nodded towards Robert, who was turning in his notes to the Vice President, whose name had escaped Jasper.  
Emmett followed Jasper's gaze. "I talked to him a few days ago. He's from Tennessee, too."

Jasper nodded and looked back to find Robert, Aidan, and the VP looking in the direction of their little group. He leaned towards Emmett and Troy. "Is that a good or a bad sign?" he whispered. The three boys were mainly curious, although Aidan, once again, had some suspicion underneath; Jasper detected no such emotion in the other two, though.

Troy shrugged. "Let's just smile and nod at them." The three of them did just that, at the same time, and Jasper hoped it didn't look too forced. They sat through the last presentation of the week, this one focused on the frat's traditions, as Jasper's conversation with Robert had been, and, then, it was over and out of their hands.

Aidan shook their hands again when they went out, and said something to Jasper, Emmett, and Troy, that filled all three of them with a blast of hope: "See you soon."


	8. Oh my God you guys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

On Bid Day, Alice was certain she and Rosalie were the only people who weren't nervous. The night before, a vision of herself, Rose, May, and Kristen in Alpha Kappa Theta shirts had confirmed what Alice had already been expecting: they were going to be sisters.

Since they would change into sorority T-shirts once they got to the house, all four of them dressed casually in shorts and a cute top. It was warm but cloudy outside, perfect weather for both humans and vampires; they wouldn't be cold, but no one was in danger of getting a sunburn or turning into a disco ball.

Katy was still wearing her Rho Gamma shirt, but Alice spotted a blue-and-brown one underneath her arm. "Are you all excited?" she said happily, which was met with cheers from the girls; the week had been exhausting and, even though they were nervous, they were all looking forward to it being over.

Katy led them to Greek Row, where the front lawns were covered in brothers and sisters wearing their organizations' T-shirts. They formed cohesive masses of color, laughing and waving as the groups of new students made their way past the table where the envelopes with bid cards were distributed. Alice, Rosalie, May, and Kristen all received one with their names written on the front in the same, round handwriting.

As they walked to an emptier place to wait until they could open their envelopes, Alice handily pushed her friends out of the way of a water balloon that was flung at the crowd. "Nice one," May commented.

Rosalie frowned at Alice, who shrugged. "Saw it coming from the corner of my eye." May and Kristen were far too anxious to pay attention to Alice's sixth sense for detecting incoming water balloons, and they spent their time looking around anxiously. At bigger schools, it was common for buses to take the new pledges to the houses, but, since there weren't that many people here, you were expected to be able to make your own way over without getting into too much trouble.

When all the envelopes had been given out, the boy who had been sitting behind the table jumped on top of it with a megaphone. "Ten seconds everyone!" he yelled, and started counting down, the others quickly joining in.

"Five, four, three, two, one!" they chanted, and there was a five-second silence as everyone ripped open their envelope. Alice felt the thick, cream cardboard between her fingers and read: _Alpha Kappa Theta cordially invites Mary Alice Brandon to become a member of its sisterhood at James Anderson University_ , Laurel's sprawling signature underneath.

The crowd around Alice exploded, her ears ringing with the screams of the other girls, but she was swept up in a stream of visions that flicked by too quickly for her to properly view them all. They were unsurprisingly dominated by May and Kristen, but Katy, Lillian, and Laurel also made several appearances in the many scenes that would take place inside the house or on group trips; she witnessed Emmett and Rosalie 'meet' at a party, with Jasper looking on suspiciously in the background as the protective twin brother he was (that one was close, very close); and she saw herself and her siblings sprinting away from the campus in the blinding sunlight, skin sparkling but apparently too occupied with getting away to care. _Ominous_ , Alice thought, but was distracted by Kristen, who shook her a little harder than a human would find comfortable.

"Alice! Come on!" she screeched, pulling Alice towards the Alpha Kappa Theta house, where they joined the crowd of jumping and screaming girls. Across the road, she saw a bellowing Emmett and staunch-faced Jasper going through the same experience but with a group of yelling boys.

The thirteen pledges were welcomed by their new sisters with hugs and kisses, all photographed extensively. Alice, Rosalie, May, and Kristen made sure to get a picture together, and then they were shown into a side room where they could change into Alpha Kappa Theta shirts. As Alice had discussed with Laurel a few days before, it did indeed look nice on all the sisters.

May examined herself in the mirror. "Maybe I should switch back to light blue hair," she mused. "To match the brand."

Without thinking, Alice checked her visions to see what May would look like, and shook her head decisively. "Lilac looks better, trust me."

May's eyes widened in surprise. "You're definitely right, but how do you know that? I don't think we've gotten to the point in our friendship just yet where I've shown you pictures of myself back then." She shook her head, closing her eyes as if to shield herself from the mental image. "Dark times."

Alice laughed. "I do fashion design, remember? Knowing which colors will suit people is my job."

Before May could react, they were pulled back into the living room of the house, where their sisters waited for them, sitting in a circle. Alice slid in between Rosalie and Kristen without thinking about it, a place where, she realized, she felt she belonged. She couldn't help but smile; she had never had a group of female friends like this. Even though Rosalie and Bella got along better than they once did, it still didn't have the same easy feeling of friendship that they already shared with May and Kristen. _I'll miss this_ , she thought to herself, _when it eventually ends_.

Laurel stood up, smiling from ear to ear. "Pledges, sisters, welcome to this year's initiation ceremony!" The group clapped as the pledges exchanged nervously excited looks. "I know you've probably heard horrors about sorority initiation, but we prefer to keep things genuinely fun around here, so it's gonna be chill." A few girls around Alice visibly relaxed. She hadn't heard any stories, but 'chill' sounded better than whatever horrors Laurel was referring to. "Tonight, Gamma Delta Tau is hosting a party to celebrate the end of recruitment, which we'll of course hit up. First, however, we're going to do some games to get to know each other and have our first sorority dinner."

Alice looked around the circle, once again grateful for vampire memory to help her remember all the names. She recognized Lillian, Ashley, who nodded at her when she saw Alice looking, and several other girls she had talked to. _Sisters_ , Alice thought.

"First," Laurel continued. She was still smiling, and, for a moment, Alice wished she possessed Jasper's gift; she wondered whether there was any anxiety beneath the kind confidence Laurel projected. "I know everyone hates this, but we're going to go around the circle, say your name, where you're from, and one weird fact about yourself." Several girls, May included, groaned, and Laurel giggled. "Listen, it's the most effective way to learn people's names, and the weirder the fun fact, the better. I'll start: I'm Laurel Spencer, I'm from Pensacola, Florida, and I can put my legs behind my head."

"You can't just say that and not offer a demonstration!" one of the pledges called out, and Laurel obeyed, earning herself a scattered applause.

They went around the circle, Alice focusing on the names rather than the fun facts, until they arrived at Kristen. "I'm Kristen Dwyer, I'm from Los Angeles, California, and a fun fact about me is that I'm pretty color blind, so I thought Alpha Kappa Theta's colors were green and brown until about twenty minutes ago."

The girls giggled around the circle, and Alice leaned towards Kristen. "I'll warn you before you make a fashion faux-pas, don't worry," Alice whispered, and Kristen snickered, giving Alice a thumbs up. 

Alice looked around the circle. "I'm Mary Alice Brandon, but I go by Alice," she introduced herself. "I'm from Biloxi, Mississippi, and my fun fact is that I've got an almost infallible sense to tell when it's going to rain."

"Now _that's_ useful," one of the older girls commented. "Never again ruin my hair in a sudden storm."

Alice smiled, ignoring the worried look Rosalie shot her way. Humans could have strange talents, too, and she would correctly predict the weather sooner or later. It was best to make the sisters expect it, rather than to throw it on them without preparation.

It was Rosalie's turn. "I'm Rosalie Hale, I'm from Jacksonville, North Carolina, and I have a twin brother who is rushing too. I think I saw him go into Gamma Delta Tau."

"Scale of one to ten, how hot is he, and how protective of him are you?" someone prompted.

Rosalie laughed, a sight Alice knew dazzled any humans in a five-mile radius. These girls weren't any different, and they were glued to her sister's face. "The second one's definitely a ten, and I've been told the first one is, too, although I would give him no more than a 7.5, on a good day," she answered. Alice frowned a little; she wasn't overly excited about the prospect of having her entire sorority try to hit on her husband, but the vision she got of Jasper's panicked face was too funny for her to try and warn him about it.

After being prompted by Laurel, May introduced herself: "I'm May Presley, I'm from Dover, New Hampshire, and, despite my last name, the most famous person I'm related to is Macklemore."

The circle continued and, when everyone had had a turn, Laurel took charge again and held up ten fingers. The girls who knew the game cheered and did the same, after which Laurel explained the rules for _Never Have I Ever_. She finished with: "Our special Alpha Kappa Theta rule is that, if you're the only person who has done something, you have to tell the story behind it." Rosalie and Alice exchanged a look. Maybe they should lie a little here, although it wasn't very likely one of the girls would say 'never have I ever hunted down a vampire who tried to kill my brother's girlfriend'.

Laurel started with a soft ball: "Never have I ever gone bungee jumping." Several girls, Alice included, put down a finger, although Alice decided against asking if it was still called bungee jumping without a cord.

The girls continued, laughing at the more embarrassing ones (never have I ever peed my pants past the age of fourteen), wolf whistling at others (never have I ever made out in a broom closet at school, where Rosalie and two others put down fingers), and demanding stories if someone was the only one (never have I ever snuck backstage at a concert, which Kristen had done with her mom and older sister, to get some of her sister's stuff back from an ex with a shitty band).

As they continued, the sense of belonging Alice had felt when they sat down grew and flourished. She leaned her head on Rosalie's shoulder with a sigh. She was certain now: this was the best idea Emmett had ever had.


	9. The kings of beer pong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

When they reached the final part of the Gamma Delta Tau initiation, the dinner, Emmett realized that, maybe, being pushed into the pond completely clothed had actually been his favorite part. After emerging from the murky water, the new brothers had been given the opportunity to have a speedy shower and wash the algae out of their hair, and had been handed a fraternity T-shirt with a new set of pants, that varied from acceptable to ridiculous. Troy was sporting sweatpants, Jasper had been given a swanky brown plaid number, and Emmett wore ski pants and counted himself lucky he didn't have to worry about overheating.

During dinner, Emmett and Jasper tried to eat as little as possible, but a few bites couldn't be helped, and Emmett winced as the food slid down his throat. He assumed at least a little bit of alcohol would be added to the stomach contents he would have to cough up before the night was over.

That evening, Aidan gave the pledges a short speech before the party started. "It's your first night as a brother, let loose a little. The rest of us will play host. There is only one rule: do not, and I repeat _do not_ , let anyone else win the annual beer pong championship. We had to face that humiliation last year, and I refuse to go through it again."

Emmett leaned towards Jasper. "Never played it before, but I'm sure we'll kick ass at that, brother."

Robert, who was standing next to them, had caught their conversation, and looked at Troy. "I think we can beat them."

Troy grinned. "Absolutely," he answered, fist bumping his new teammate.

"Oh, you're on," Jasper said, and Emmett felt him turn up the confidence a little. It became easier to recognize Jasper's influence once you were used to it, but Troy and Robert had not yet learned that skill and started bragging about games they had won in the past. Emmett listened carefully, trying to glean some information about the rules of the game from the increasingly unlikely stories of the other boys.

Not much later, the first guests invaded the Gamma Delta Tau house, which became a blur of new and vaguely familiar faces. Emmett and Jasper stuck close together, Troy hovering around them too. The boy's character, however, meant he had a tendency to get dragged into other groups to chug beers, show off his handstand skills, or make up friendship handshakes with people he met seventeen seconds before.

It was past midnight when Aidan announced the beer pong tournament would soon start, accompanied by the president of last year's winning fraternity, whose colors were light green and gray. Emmett saw Alice and Rosalie each team up with one of the human girls they seemed to have befriended, Alice with a tall girl with lavender hair, and Rosalie with a girl who wore big, dark glasses. Emmett and Jasper's (or, Team Jazz 'Em, as they now preferred to be called) first game was against two girls who were already so tipsy that they spent most of their time trying to hit their opponents in the forehead with their ping pong balls, and they got through the first few rounds easily.

Things got interesting, however, when they faced Team Kristalie in the quarter finals. Rosalie stepped up to the table and waved sweetly at Jasper, nudging the girl next to her. "That one's my brother."

The other girl looked Jasper up and down with an inquisitive yet approving look. "A 7.5, really? You're such a liar, Rosalie."

Emmett and Jasper exchanged confused and slightly apprehensive glances as the girl whispered something to her lavender-haired friend, and the information made its way around the group of Alpha Kappa Theta shirts. In the cacophony of sounds around them, Emmett could just pick up the words _Rosalie's brother_ and _7.5_ , but wasn't sure what the rest of the message contained. It was enough, however, to have several girls sidle up to an incredibly uncomfortable Jasper, so Emmett decided to distract the group a little.

He winked at Rosalie and threw a ping pong ball in the air, catching it deftly in his other hand. "You ladies ready to lose?" he asked, enjoying the smile on Rosalie's face that told him she would have blushed if she could.

"Cocky already, huh?" Rosalie challenged, and Emmett could only grin wildly at her. God, he loved this girl.

Sadly for Team Kristalie, a vampire-vampire beer pong team was almost impossible to beat. Although Rosalie didn't miss a single ball, her teammate Kristen only made about half of her shots. The girls made a graceful exit from the tournament as the second to last Alpha Kappa Theta team still playing. Their last remaining duo, Team Tall and Tiny, consisting of Alice and May, got beaten in the semi finals by a fully human team that still made almost all of their shots, in the T-shirts Emmett recognized as last year's winners.

Right before the final round started, Aidan pulled Emmett and Jasper aside. "Don't disappoint, guys," Aidan said, clapping them on the shoulders. "Get us that trophy back."

Emmett saluted as Jasper nodded, and Emmett could feel him almost instinctively push some reassurance towards Aidan. Aidan eyed Jasper for a moment, then smiled, wished them success, and joined their other brothers cheering on the sideline.

Emmett pulled Jasper, who was staring after Aidan, to the table. "This isn't the time to lose focus, Jazz, this is the time to win," he mumbled in his brother's ear, eyeing up their opponents across the table. Team Jackell looked incredibly smug for two people Emmett was about to wipe the floor with, and he noticed his competitive side taking over; he really wanted to win now. Jasper, however, still seemed slightly distracted, and Emmett snapped his fingers in front of his brother's face. "Hello, earth to Jasper."

Jasper shook his head, as if he was trying to get unhelpful thoughts out of his head, and nodded, hazel eyes narrowed. "Let's do this."

It took them several rounds, but, finally, Emmett and Jasper were handed the JAU Greek Life Beer Pong Championship Cup, which was passed around between the different organizations, and was now back where it, according to Aidan, belonged: the trophy case of Gamma Delta Tau.

As Emmett, Jasper, and Troy stood next to the drinks table to figure out how to best celebrate their victory, Rosalie appeared next to her brother, her friends in tow. "Proud of you Jazzy," she said. "You've met my roommate, right?"

Jasper looked at Alice with a neutral look on his face, but Emmett noted the soft, loving happiness his brother started radiating when he looked at her. "Yep, on move-in day. Hi, Alice."

Alice smiled, eyes sparkling. "Hey, Jasper."

"And this is May and Kristen," Rosalie said, nodding at the girls behind them, who were eyeing up Jasper and not being very subtle about it.

Jasper put a hand on Emmett's and one on Troy's shoulder. He usually didn't touch Troy, but Emmett assumed the drunken cockiness of the other students was rubbing off on Jasper, and he was starting to feel as tipsy as a vampire could. "These are my new brothers, Emmett and Troy."

Emmett locked eyes with Rosalie and he couldn't help a large smile spreading over his face at the sight of her. Even though he was enjoying getting to know new people and spending time with Jasper, he missed her more than he had realized. "Miss Hale," he said, inclining his head towards her. Emmett didn't miss Alice, May, and Kristen elbowing each other, but Rosalie didn't notice, all attention directed towards him. She had a quick mind, but also the ability to ignore everything except one thing, and he loved when he was the object of her focus.

Troy, not privy to the tension Emmett and Jasper already had with some of the girls, offered them all a drink, and they readily accepted. Emmett later noticed that Rosalie and Alice switched their own cups with their friends' when May and Kristen finished their drinks.

A few hours later, Emmett decided to escape to the garden. Jasper had already done that several times, to catch a break from the humans, and had offered to cover for Emmett as Emmett had done for him. In the garden, Emmett encountered a nice surprise: Rosalie was sitting on a bench, looking out over the campus.

He sat down next to her, aware that at least some of his new brothers would see them, and possibly warn Jasper his sister's honor may be in danger. Still, he longed to hear her voice when it wasn't clouded by those of so many others. "Evening," he said, keeping a respectful distance.

She looked over and smiled at him. "Morning, you mean. It's 4 AM, some people are getting up right now."

"Maybe night would be most appropriate," he suggested, which earned him a soft laugh from Rosalie. "How was this week for you?"

Rosalie shrugged. "I always had faith I would be an Alpha Kappa Theta, but I'm relieved it has come true."

Emmett couldn't help but laugh. Alice must have had not a single doubt about where they would end up, but he agreed that there was a certain anxiety about the future even she couldn't take away. He suddenly heard laughter behind him, and turned around to see Troy and Robert on the porch, making insistent motions at someone inside. "Maybe we should go back, before Jasper challenges me to a duel for your honor," he suggested.

"You're too late, Em, he's here," Troy called.

Rosalie got up and, throwing her blonde curls over her shoulder, fixed Robert and Troy with such a pointed look that the boys stopped laughing immediately. Emmett noticed Jasper, Alice, May, and Kristen watching from the sliding doors. The girls were giggling, but Jasper had his arms crossed, trying to look like a protective brother but also not being able to stop a grin from spreading across his face.

"Oh, please," Rosalie said, addressing the group by the doors. "I can fight my own duels." Emmett didn't doubt it.


	10. Some education, finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

The following Monday, Jasper was more than ready to start learning something. Although he had enjoyed the whole fraternity rush experience more than he had expected, Emmett was the one to have pushed that part of their story. Jasper had been more than happy to take his classes with Alice clinging on to his hand, but even he had to admit they were a lot less conspicuous than usual. Maybe 'we're all siblings and also sleeping together' wasn't quite as subtle of a cover story as they had hoped.

At 10 AM, Jasper left Emmett in their dorm room to head to the only class they didn't have together, because Emmett had said it sounded so incredibly dull he couldn't imagine Jasper would get in trouble there: _Introduction to Ethics: Why Right Is Not Wrong_. A part of Jasper was excited to get away from Emmett for a few hours. Although he loved his brother dearly, over-exposure to Emmett tended to be tiring, especially if Rosalie wasn't there to contain him. Over the weekend, Emmett had already climbed an electricity mast and promptly gotten himself electrocuted on a dare, had drunk a glass full of the most horrible concoction the boys on their floor could come up with (all human food was disgusting anyway), and had tried to convince several people to come skinny dip in the fountain in front of the dean's office with him. Jasper sincerely hoped he wasn't the only one who wouldn't get in trouble during this two-hour class.

Jasper was the first person to arrive in the classroom, and picked a seat in a corner of the U-shape, as far away from the professor as possible. A few people came in, but no one sat next to him until Aidan appeared in the doorway, laptop under his arm. He immediately spotted Jasper and sat down next to him with a big smile on his face.

"Good morning, Jasper," Aidan said. For a moment, Jasper was impressed that Aidan had managed to fish his name out of the sea of new faces, until he remembered the beer pong tournament that must have cemented himself and Emmett into Aidan's memory. "How has your weekend been?"

There had been no fraternity events since the initiation on Friday, so it had been a few days since Jasper had seen Aidan. Jasper smiled at him, instinctively starting to disseminate a generally peaceful feeling. "Nothing interesting, but it was nice. How about you?"

Aidan nodded, looking genuinely interested in Jasper's incredibly basic and boring answer. "Laurel and I went on a hike around Mount Lafayette, it was beautiful. I would definitely recommend it."

Jasper decided against mentioning him and his siblings were planning their own kind of hike on Wednesday night, but still thanked Aidan for the suggestion. In an attempt to keep Aidan talking, he asked: "Are you and Laurel close beyond your… work, if I can call it that?"

Aidan grinned, and Jasper felt a soft, loving happiness starting to radiate from him, like a warm fire just started in Aidan's heart. "Absolutely. We met at the introduction party our freshman year, and have been inseparable ever since. It took me a few months to work up the courage to ask her out, but we got there in the end." Jasper raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't spotted Aidan and Laurel's romance yet, probably because he had been so overwhelmed by everyone else's emotions. Aidan saw his face and laughed. "We keep things strictly professional when we're on duty, but I'm sure you'll find out eventually."

At that moment, the professor figured out how to turn on the PowerPoint (with which he struggled almost as much as Jasper himself), and the class started. "Hello everyone, welcome to Moral Philosophy 101, if this isn't where you should be, you have ten seconds to get out, or you're stuck forever." When no one left, the man laughed. "Good, so we're among friends here. I'm professor Peter F, no need to try and teach you the long last name I inherited from my Italian ancestors. Let's just get started." The beginning was basic, but Jasper pulled out his notebook and took a few notes anyway. The first mistake he had made as a vampire in education was not writing anything down; ironically, he had the tendency to forget not everyone had perfect recall. The professor turned out to be the hands-on type, and, after explaining a few basics, asked the class to discuss the question: how do you, in your daily life, determine what is right and wrong?

Aidan turned to Jasper, eyes snatching on his notebook. "You have really nice handwriting, very old-fashioned. I'm getting 'tortured poet from the 1900s'-vibes."

Jasper grinned back. "Maybe I really am a tortured poet from the 1900s." He had found that, if you were the first to suggest immortality, humans had the tendency to laugh it off and never bring it up again.

Aidan laughed, but not after Jasper had spotted a sudden flicker of doubt in his emotions. He shook off the anxiety that rose in his throat. Even if Aidan was one of those people who believed in the supernatural (which seemed out of character for a fraternity president), he had no reason to believe Jasper was somehow involved.

Nevertheless, Jasper decided to change the topic. "So, what do you think of the question?"

Aidan leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I feel like there's a generally accepted moral code that everyone follows. No killing, no stealing, no lying-"

"No lying?" Jasper cut in. "At all? What about white lies?" _Or, you know, lies to protect your vampiric identity from the humans around you who would run away screaming and return with pitchforks if they found out what you really were_.

Aidan bit his lip, thinking about it for a moment. The professor came up behind him, listening to their conversation, but Aidan didn't notice. "I think it depends. You're right, maybe it's hard to say 'no lying' as a flat rule, because there are moments when it's necessary. Lying to protect someone's feelings, for example. Maybe you should assess every situation on its own, and see which way will do the most good."

"Ah, utilitarianism!" the professor said, drawing the class's attention back to himself and continuing his presentation.

The rest of the class went by quickly. It was all material Jasper had learned before, but he still took some notes and listened attentively. Not only did it help to sell his cover story, but the fun of humanities was that a class could be completely different depending on the professor. As they were leaving the building, Aidan asked Jasper which way he was going.

Jasper made a vague gesture in the general direction. "Back to my dorm, in Richard. See if Emmett's awake." The answer was yes, but Aidan didn't need to know that.

Aidan nodded. "I'm going to the library, that's the same way. I'll walk with you." They started off down the path, a light rain coming down from the cloudy New Hampshire sky. "Why did you and your sister decide to come here, all the way from North Carolina?" Aidan asked.

Jasper shrugged. "We both wanted to get away from home, but doing something without the other person was too much," he explained. It was close to the truth: it was nice to not be with the entire family for a little, but not being Rosalie's twin after so long would feel like a limb was missing. "Where are you from?"

"Boston," Aidan answered. "My dad runs a law firm there, mom teaches business at Harvard."

"You didn't want to stay?" Jasper asked. "I've heard Boston's great." He hadn't been there for quite a few decades, but he remembered the calm energy of the city, so different from the pulsating heart of New York.

Aidan shrugged. "Sure, but I had… family obligations pulling me to JAU, much like my brother had family obligations to stay in the city."

He didn't elaborate on these obligations, and Jasper decided against pressing the issue. Instead, he redirected the conversation. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Two" Aidan said. "Liam is twenty-eight, Caitlin twenty-five. Cait escaped to the West Coast when she was eighteen, though, so we don't see her much. How about you?"

Jasper smiled. "It's just me and Rose." That fit with their cover story, but not with the way he felt. It almost seemed a betrayal to him, to not mention the other siblings he had been blessed with over the years. "Although," he continued in an amicable tone, "I recently gained a ton of brothers overnight."

Aidan let out a booming laugh that reminded Jasper of Emmett. "Of course, you're a part of the family now. I really hope you feel at home with us, Jasper." They had reached the library and stopped, Aidan turning towards him. This time, as their eyes met, Jasper was more alert, and definitely caught it: a flicker of doubt and fear overtaking Aidan's mood as he examined Jasper, that he pushed down immediately. Jasper almost couldn't suppress a deep sigh. For some reason, Aidan knew something was off about him, and it was only the first day of classes, for God's sake. Nothing showed in the boy's face as he said: "I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Jasper answered, dread now truly setting in. "See you around."


	11. Hunting trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

Late Wednesday afternoon, Rosalie and Alice left their dorm and walked across campus to slip into the woods behind the history faculty when no one was looking. Even though Rosalie had now officially 'met' Emmett, they hadn't interacted beyond their short talk at the party on Friday (or Saturday, technically), and she was itching to see him. She was loving being a normal twenty-first-century girl, with new college friends and a sorority where she could go to study or hang out, with a roommate and classes to worry about. However, she found herself reaching for Emmett and then remembering he wasn't there more than she had expected. When something funny happened, she listened for his booming laugh; when she felt a little sad, she waited for his hand to appear on the small of her back; and when she needed advice, she tried to ask him even though he couldn't hear her.

From the spring in Alice's step as she led Rosalie through the forest to where Emmett and Jasper would be waiting in the Jeep, it was clear she had similar feelings. Alice tended to be difficult to get through to, but she had been more sporadic than usual, more prone to answering questions that hadn't been asked yet, to laughing before a joke was finished. Rosalie strongly doubted it was Jasper's gift alone that usually grounded her sister.

The car came into view a few miles into the forest, and Rosalie and Alice broke into a sprint at the same time. Rosalie could see Emmett sitting behind the wheel, looking through the passenger seat window expectantly. A flash of blond hair told her Jasper was in the back, but she didn't pay attention to her brother. Her mind was fixed on the way Emmett's curls were slightly messed up, as if he had tried to make them look neat and then ran his hands through his hair too many times; on his neat, white button-up that would be stained with mud and blood before the night was through; and on the way his eyes narrowed and his dimples appeared in his cheeks as he smiled at her as if she was the only person he ever wanted to see.

Rosalie flung the passenger door open and jumped across the seat straight into Emmett's arms, which closed tightly around her back as she wrapped her own around his neck. He chuckled into her hair. "Hey, babe, missed me?"

Rosalie pulled back a little and stroked his hair, trying to push it back into something resembling a style. As usual, it didn't cooperate. "And you're doing just fine without me, Emmett McCarthy?" she challenged.

Emmett let out the booming laugh Rosalie had missed so much. "Of course I'm not. I miss you like crazy when you're out of my sight for more than five minutes. I thought I had made that clear by now."

From the backseat, Jasper mumbled: "Maybe this was a bad idea after all."

Rosalie looked back to see Alice wrapped up in Jasper's arms, looking happier and more at peace than she had in the past two weeks. Still, she shrugged. "I absolutely miss you, but I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. Rosalie and I even made some friends."

"So did we." The corner of Jasper's mouth pulled up in a half smile. "Rose even met one of them, and he immediately intuited that she was dangerous, because she can run in heels."

Rosalie laughed, remembering Troy's stunned exclamation, but then another memory pushed its way into her mind. "We may have a problem, though, because I met a girl I might be related to." She explained Lillian's resemblance to herself, both in looks and in name.

Alice didn't look concerned. "I don't see any danger coming from her side. Besides, why would Lillian recognize someone who lived almost a century before her? I think you're being overly worried."

Jasper narrowed his eyes at his wife, then exchanged a glance with Rosalie that told her they were thinking the same thing. "Where _are_ the problems coming from, if it isn't Lillian?" Rosalie asked.

Alice pressed her lips together. "I'm not sure," she admitted after a few moments of silence. Besides, I'm not even certain there will be trouble, it's all very vague. Things could turn out just fine for us."

Emmett turned back to the wheel. "So, what you're saying is that, for now, we have nothing to worry about." Rosalie and Jasper rolled their eyes at each other, but Emmett pretended not to notice. "Let's go!" He pushed his foot down on the gas, Rosalie still lying across his lap, and the Jeep surged forward down the forest road.

They took the 112, which led straight through the White Mountain Forest, and Emmett picked a place as far from civilization as possible to park the car. The four of them jumped out, and Emmett grabbed Rosalie's hand, pulling her into the forest. They set off on a run together, Alice and Jasper following closely behind. The trees flew past them as they dodged and weaved, and Rosalie's body responded with fervor to finally being used to its full vampire ability after so long of pretending to be human. Her legs went faster and faster, her eyes narrowed, her nostrils opened, and her only focus became running through the forest with Emmett by her side.  
Behind them, Alice and Jasper veered left, following the trail of a group of deer, but Emmett pulled Rosalie deeper into the forest. There may not be any grizzlies here besides the JAU students, but that didn't mean Emmett wouldn't go after a black bear. Rosalie was happy to come with him, happy to do pretty much anything right now, as long as it meant keeping Emmett close.

It didn't take them long to find a bear, and Rosalie stayed to the side as Emmett jumped it, roaring at the animal. Black bears were smaller than grizzlies, so Emmett finished it more quickly than usual, and then they were off again, looking for a new trail. They continued until they had both had their fill, their eyes shifting back to a bright hazel.

Afterwards, Emmett sat with his back against a tree as Rosalie leant against his chest, only a little worried about the blood from his shirt that must be seeping into her hair. Emmett sighed. "Funny, I had almost forgotten I was a vampire, with all this 'acting like a human'-business."

Rosalie smiled. "I know, we've truly never blended in better. I'm excited for the part where we're really dating, though. Being human is even more fun with you around."

Emmett stroked her hair softly. "Tell me about it," he mumbled. "I love Jasper, but the man is driving me insane with his tense anxiety and with the fact that he always knows how I'm feeling. I don't know how Alice does it."

Rosalie chuckled softly. "Alice is too busy answering all his questions as he thinks of them, or picking up things he's only dimly aware he'll need soon. Still, I think this may be the best idea you've ever had, Em." These past few weeks had allowed her to fulfill her wish to be human beyond her wildest dreams, and Rosalie never wanted it to end. She wanted to become a young mother, pushing her stroller through the park as she called Kristen about the cute buildings in Cambridge, and sit in the garden drinking champagne and gossiping with May as Emmett built a tree house for their children in the background. She knew from experience these dreams were dangerous, knew the little boys and girls with her blond hair and Emmett's dimples would never exist, but the situation encouraged her to indulge.

"Unless whatever Alice is worried about does come to fruition," Emmett mumbled under his breath, hand tangling in her hair as he softly stroked it.

Rosalie looked back at him with narrowed eyes. "What is it?"

Emmett shook his head. "Jasper said Aidan is suspicious and anxious about something, and that those feelings flare up whenever we're around, but I can't imagine it has something to do with us being vampires. There's no way he knows that."

Rosalie had to admit that the idea of a frat president knowing about vampires bordered on the ridiculous. Still, both she and Alice had talked to Laurel during recruitment, a privilege that had been denied to May and Kristen. Had that really been stupid good luck? She shook her head, willing herself to dispel the worried thoughts that were invading this perfect moment. _Not tonight_ , she thought. Tonight, she would enjoy having Emmett around for as long as she could.


	12. Tik tok

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

Emmett couldn't help but feel anxious when he, Jasper, and Troy approached the Gamma Delta Tau house on Friday. They had been weaving in and out of the place all day, but tonight, during the Big Little Reveal, was the first time they would see Aidan again. The combination of Alice's expectation of trouble and Jasper's distrust of the frat president meant Emmett simply wasn't able to muster his usual level of excitement. He felt like he was sitting on a ticking time bomb, one that would explode long before he could execute his many plans to swoon his wife. Jasper, too, seemed fidgety, even though Troy's presence mellowed him out significantly. The boy's happiness was like a drug to Jasper, and Emmett was happy he wouldn't have to watch his brother like a hawk tonight; usually, a more relaxed state made him less likely to just rip open the first human in sight, and Emmett could only hope that general rule held up tonight.

Troy, oblivious to his friends' anxiety, asked: "So, do you guys have any hopes for who your Big is going to be?"

"Not really, everyone I've met has been super nice," Emmett admitted, and Jasper nodded in agreement. "I'm sure Robert is going to be yours, though, aren't you guys basically best friends already?" Ever since the initiation, Troy had barely been able to set foot in the Gamma Delta Tau house without Robert appearing at his side.

Troy looked down as if embarrassed, but smiled at the same time. "I don't think that'll work out, but if you're lucky, he'll pick one of you and we can hang out all the time."

Emmett pulled his face into a fake pout. "You wouldn't hang out with us otherwise?"

The other two laughed as they jumped up the porch steps, and the sound filled Emmett with joy; at the very least, he had had a fun two weeks with Jasper and Troy. Inside, they headed towards the living room, voices drifting into the hallway to welcome them home. Aidan greeted them at the door, shaking their hands. He smiled warmly at Troy, but, now that he was looking for it, Emmett noticed a little bit of that warmth seeped out of his face when he turned to Emmett and Jasper.

"Good to see you again!" Aidan exclaimed. "Excited to find out who your Big brothers are?"

The three nodded, and a few other boys herded them towards one of the couches, the Bigs taking the one opposite. Emmett spotted Robert and Cameron whispering to each other, but tried not to listen to what they were saying; he wanted this to be a surprise. The Little couch was pretty full, so Emmett, Jasper, and Troy sat down in front of it as Aidan came to stand between the couches.

"Welcome, my dear brothers, to Big Little Reveal," he started, smiling as he opened his arms a little. Despite his worries, Emmett couldn't help but be drawn in by Aidan; the man was damn charismatic no matter what. "Unlike the girls across the road, we like to keep things simple around here. The Bigs have written each of their Littles, a few have offered to take on more than one, a haiku to invite them to be their Little. It used to be a sonnet, but it was decided that was way too long a few years ago, so we do haiku's now. Take it away, guys."

One by one, the Bigs read out their haiku's that were met with fits of laughter from both sides; the next winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature definitely wasn't in the room with them right now. The Big and Little brothers stood around the room in twos and threes. They would split up after this before reconvening for the party down the road, but no one wanted to miss a single haiku.

About halfway through, Cameron stood up and read from his phone: "My Little is like / A walking ray of sunshine / His laugh makes you love." Emmett didn't need to, but still followed Cameron's finger as he pointed at Troy. "Troy, brother, bring it in man." Troy jumped up, hugging Cameron, an even bigger smile than usual on his face. Emmett was still confused as to why Robert hadn't picked Troy to be his Little, but Troy seemed happy enough with Cameron.

Robert was the next person to get up, the setting sun catching his auburn hair and setting it on fire. "I'm lucky enough to have two Littles, so prepare for the two worst haiku's you'll ever hear." The room chuckled as his eyes flitted between Emmett and Jasper, and Emmett didn't need Alice's gift to predict what would come next. "You think it's thunder / Rolling by in a blue sky / No, Emmett just laughed." Like Cameron, he lifted one finger and pointed at Emmett, then continued, a scarlet blush creeping across his cheeks: "A calming presence / Background man, but foreground mind / We'll loosen you, Jazz." Emmett looked at Jasper and they got up as one, Robert wrapping one arm around each of them. It reminded Emmett of the way Esme held them, and he suddenly got hit with a stab of longing for his mother. Robert's grip, however, was just as tight and comforting.

They waited for the rest of the Littles to be revealed, and then Robert led them to the backyard. They sat cross-legged on the grass and Emmett was dimly aware of Cameron and Troy flopping down on the garden furniture behind him.

"I hope you don't mind sharing a Big," Robert said. "You guys seem pretty close, so I assumed it'd be fine."

Emmett and Jasper nodded. "Worst comes to worst, we'll make a contact arrangement," Jasper joked, and Emmett and Robert chuckled.

During the few hours they spent talking, an oddly comfortable sense of belonging spread through Emmett's body. He didn't know how much of it was himself and how much was Jasper's doing, but he let it take him over as the three of them talked away the rest of the day, until it was time to head down to the sorority that was hosting tonight.

Inside, Emmett instinctively looked around for Rosalie, but settled for getting a drink with Jasper when he realized she wasn't there yet. At the table, Emmett felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to find the guys they had beaten in the beer pong finale standing behind them.

The guy on the left, almost as tall as Emmett, with messy, dark blond hair, grinned wildly at the two of them. "We're a little late, but can we just compliment you on a great game last week and challenge you to a rematch next time. I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet. I'm Kellan, this is Jackson."

Jasper smiled, and Emmett felt him encourage the boys' jovial competitiveness a little. "We'll wipe the floor with you any time you want."

The other, shorter guy, Jackson, grinned. "Beginner's luck," he challenged. "I wouldn't get cocky so early on in the year."

At that moment, Robert called Emmett and Jasper over to do special Big-Little shots (that just looked like regular Jell-O shots to Emmett) with him, so they excused themselves. The jelly tasted just as horrible to Emmett as all other human food, but he imitated the soft hiss Robert let out as the alcohol burned down his mortal throat.

A new song started blasting from the speakers that caused a reaction in the group of Gamma Delta Tau brothers unparalleled by anything Emmett had ever seen before. Robert pulled Emmett and Jasper onto the dance floor, everyone else dropping whatever they were doing and following suit.

"YOOOO, it's our jam!" Cameron yelled at the top of his lungs, and the excited cheers that answered him drowned out the lyrics until the chorus came on.

Emmett and Jasper exchanged confused glances as the room erupted, every single person screaming along to the lyrics like it was their national anthem. "TIK TOK ON THE CLOCK BUT THE PARTY DON'T STOP!" Emmett and Jasper jumped along with the others, but the vital importance of the lines was lost on them.

As the song came to an end, the Alpha Kappa Theta sisters made their entrance. Emmett immediately spotted Rosalie, on the arm of a blonde girl with almost violet eyes, Rosalie's beer pong partner Kristen on her other side. Alice appeared behind them, next to a girl Emmett immediately recognized as his move-in friend Katy, lavender-haired May holding her other arm. Rosalie and Alice didn't look too cut-up about not having the same Big and, for a moment, Emmett was a little jealous. Even though he liked Troy, the girls seemed to have a deeper bond with their neighbors than Emmett had thought possible for a friendship where some participants were lying about a pretty vital part of their identity. His thoughts were distracted, however, by the awful shirts the girls were wearing. They were light blue with brown feathers arranged around cursive text: the Bigs' shirts read _mama bird_ , while the Littles sported ones that said _baby bird_.

Emmett elbowed Jasper and grinned at Robert, Troy, and Cameron. "Come on, Jazz, let's go say hi to your sister and her friends."

Cameron raised his eyebrows. "The blonde with the hazel eyes is the sister, right? What a gene pool."

Jasper fixed Cameron with a piercing look and then turned his blazing gaze on Emmett. "You kids better not be after my sister," he said, the small spark of amusement in his eyes visible to Emmett only.

Emmett pulled his face into a mask of pure innocence. "Me? Never."

Jasper didn't answer, only rolled his eyes and grabbed Emmett's arm, pulling him towards the girls. Out of the corner of his eye, Emmett saw Aidan and Laurel watching them intently. They stood close together but didn't seem to be speaking, only watching, eyes flicking between Emmett and his siblings. Emmett shook off the suspicions that were immediately fighting for dominance in his mind. They were probably just interested in their brothers and sisters interacting, right? That's what presidents were for, _right_? Besides, he needed all his focus right now. _He_ had a wife to woo.


	13. Family mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

Alice had been excited for her Big since the vision had hit the night before, of herself arm in arm with Katy, walking into the party of the unfortunate sorority that had yellow as their main color. The only thing that saddened her was that it was May on Katy's other side, instead of Rosalie. However, now that they were here, and she could see Rosalie next to Lillian ahead of her, Alice couldn't help but feel this was how things were meant to be. Lillian's role in the future was still unclear, but Alice didn't doubt she would have one.

Once they were inside, Katy bumped her hip into Alice's, and giggled. "Okay girls, first lesson from your big sister, you can never have too much fun at a party." They followed their friends to the drinks table, where Jasper, Emmett, and their friends were waiting for them.

Emmett winked at the group of girls, but Alice knew his eyes were focused on Rosalie alone. "A drink, ladies?" he asked, and Jasper elbowed him in the ribs, dutifully playing the protective brother. Kristen followed Emmett's eyes, and reached around Lillian's back to give Rosalie a soft push between her shoulder blades.

Rosalie stepped forward. "That would be great. Emmett, right?" Alice almost snorted at her faked innocence, but Emmett didn't break, and Rosalie gave her brother a quick smile. "Hey, Jazz."

"Hi, Rose," Jasper said, but his eyes kept flitting to Alice.

Lillian hadn't missed a single one of the looks exchanged, and made sure the group divided itself in such a way that Rosalie ended up next to Emmett and Alice next to Jasper as they surveyed the drinks selection. The knowing smile on her face reminded Alice of Rosalie: a perfect angel of gold, who quickly turned out to be not quite as angelic as the halo of curls made you think.

On Alice's other side, a red-haired boy who introduced himself as Cameron also seemed aware of Jasper's attraction to her, but he decided to go a completely different rout from Lillian. He turned towards her, lips curling up in a smile that was partly devious and partly flirty as he handed her a cup. "So, Alice, do you have your eye on someone yet, like your roommate clearly does?" He nodded towards Rosalie and Emmett, who were standing barely an inch apart.

Alice smiled back at Cameron as she felt Jasper bristle behind her. "Not sure yet, Cameron, why do you ask?"

Cameron's eyes flitted upwards for a moment and Alice wished she could Jasper's face right now. "No reason. Hope to see more of you." He chose that moment to turn away and link his arm through Lillian's as the group arranged itself into a small circle. Jasper put himself between Alice and Cameron almost immediately, so Alice ended up standing between him and Rosalie, feeling safer than she had since she had arrived at JAU.

"How was your summer upstate, Lil," Cameron asked in the same teasing tone he had just used with Alice. Lillian rolled her eyes in a way that told Alice this wasn't the first time they had had this conversation. "Sure you don't want to come down someday?"

"Absolutely positive, Cameron," Lillian answered, a perfect smile still on her face. "The Big Apple may be nice, but you can bury me in Rochester." Alice stiffened as a vision rippled through her, the same one of them running away from the campus, but it was clearer this time, more likely to happen. She could now see the trees had no leaves on them, and guessed it was January or possibly early February, just after winter break. She didn't catch the question, only Lillian's answer to it: "Yes, my family's lived there for generations. The house my mother grew up in even has a few ghosts in it."

Cameron laughed, and Alice relocated herself to the present. Jasper finally stopped glaring at his friend and placed a hand on the small of her back, which told her he hadn't missed the shock she had felt as she saw the vision. "Tell them about the disappeared girl, they'll love it," Cameron said, eyes sparkling.

Lillian leaned forward conspiratorially. "My mother's side of the family, they're called Hale, coincidentally," she glanced at Jasper and Rosalie for a moment, "are an old Rochester family. My great-grandfather, Theodore Hale," Rosalie stiffened next to Alice at that name, "was the oldest of two boys, but they had an older sister, too. Her name was Rosalie Lillian, so great-granddad named his daughter Lillian Rosalie, and the tradition of switching the names every generation continued until it got to me." Beside Alice, Rosalie had gone completely rigid, and Alice grabbed her sister's hand and squeezed it, hoping it would remind her sister of where they were. The others were too engrossed in the story to notice Rose's mood for now, but that could change at any point. "The story goes that Rosalie disappeared one night in the 1930s, she just never came home. Even stranger, her fiance was brutally murdered not long after, a man who had given rather strange answers when the police questioned him. My great-grandfather always swore the man was behind it, and that his sister's vengeful spirit had come back to punish him. She's supposed to haunt the house to this day."

Kristen's eyes were wide with excitement. "There's a proper ghost in your house?" she squealed. "That's so cool, you should ask the Buzzfeed Unsolved boys to come by some time!"

Lillian giggled as she took another sip from her drink. "Great-granddad held a few seances in his time, but none of them worked. If Rosalie is indeed still walking around, she's unwilling to communicate with us." She shrugged. "The Hales are a stubborn bunch."

Aidan suddenly appeared behind Lillian. "Your ghost story again, Lil. But, hey, aren't you two Hales? Maybe they have some answers." He nodded at Jasper and Rosalie.

Rosalie was clearly not in the mood to answer any questions, so Jasper shrugged, and Alice felt him start to disseminate a happy, friendly feeling, free of any suspicions that may be swirling around. "I don't think we have any family in New York," he said casually. "But it is a funny coincidence your ancestor was also named Rosalie." A smart move, Alice could see; by pointing that out himself, Jasper paved the way for the others to dismiss it.

Lillian laughed and nodded in agreement, but Aidan was eyeing the stiff Rosalie with obvious interest. Alice pinched Rosalie's arm hard, and Rosalie managed to collect herself enough to laugh. "What a coincidence," she said softly, and Aidan's eyes slid away from her towards Alice, who giggled along with her sister.

A little later, when the humans were too drunk to notice that some of the new students seemed to be much closer than was usual with people you just met, Alice was sitting with her back against one of the walls, Jasper by her side ( _where he belongs_ , she thought to herself). She had placed her hand in his, and he was stroking the back of her hand lightly with his thumb. They didn't talk as they watched Emmett and Rosalie, who had recovered from the earlier revelations, flirt each others' heads off across the room. Alice couldn't quite put her finger on why, but it was clear this whole endeavor was more important to Rosalie and Emmett than it was to herself and Jasper. Their siblings were driving this car, and they were just along for the ride. Alice couldn't say she minded; sometimes, it was enough to let the wind blow through your hair.

When Lillian sat down next to Alice, she quickly pulled her hand out of Jasper's. Lillian nodded towards Rosalie and Emmett. "How are you feeling about that?" she asked Jasper with a grin.

Jasper leaned back, putting his hands behind his head in an incredibly human gesture. "At least it's Emmett. If he does something wrong I'll have abundant opportunities to strangle him in his sleep," he said casually, and Alice and Lillian giggled.

"Are you sure you're not a Rochester Hale after all," Lillian mumbled. "That sounds like something my brothers would say."

Jasper smiled, a small push of contentment washing over Alice towards Lillian. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not."

Lillian eyed Rosalie pensively, and Alice felt Jasper increase the push. "Still, your sister looks so much like old pictures of my mom and great aunt, it's almost weird." She shrugged. "Oh well, I'm going to get another drink. You guys want anything?"

Alice and Jasper shook their heads, and Lillian stood up and walked away. Alice leaned towards him. "Something's coming, not _from_ her, exactly, but partly _because_ of her. There's something… bigger, though, and I can't seem to figure out what." She frowned and Jasper smiled.

"You will," he said, softly but decidedly. "Let's try to have fun before then, and I'll see whether I can get anything from Aidan. Whatever's up, he's involved."

Alice nodded as Katy approached her. "Allie, I'm going to enlist your help getting May back home. And possibly recruit the others so we can save Kristen, too."

Alice got up and turned around, winking at Jasper, who smiled back. "See you later," she said. She linked arms with Katy and they dragged Rosalie away from Emmett, catching Lillian at the drinks table. May and Kristen were taken back to their dorm and tucked in by their Big sisters, Alice and Rosalie escaping to their own room.

"Happy?" Alice asked her sister, who nodded blissfully and returned the question. Thinking of the familiar weight of Jasper's hand in hers, Alice couldn't suppress a smile. "Definitely."


	14. Do you believe in ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

The first few weeks of the semester flew by Jasper like sparrows in a field. Before he knew it, they had been in college for almost two months, and Halloween weekend was fast approaching. The JAU Grizzlies had been doing horribly this season, but Jasper, Emmett, and their new brothers had attended every home game faithfully, and had even traveled down to Durham to watch the football team get their asses kicked by the UNH Wildcats. That had been a rather confusing game for the vampires in the group, since the entire stadium seemed familiar with some song intricately connected with the term wildcats, even though the word didn't feature once.

Jasper had detected increasingly suspicious feelings from both Aidan and Laurel, but he couldn't figure out what they were thinking, or why they were thinking it. There was no way they had picked up on the vampire thing; they had never been as inconspicuous as now, and the conversations between other students Jasper had overheard told him no one else thought they were anything close to strange. They were doing well, and enjoying themselves, and he wished he could shake off the unsettled feeling he had. The good things, like Jasper, Troy, Robert, and Cameron lying behind the bushes as Emmett walked Rosalie home from their first official date to ensure he didn't try anything unseemly, or getting to kiss Alice in an obviously rigged game of spin the bottle, were all overshadowed by the net that he felt closing over their heads.

Usually, he would have proposed they cut and run, but he knew he wouldn't find any support among his siblings. Emmett insisted he was overreacting, Rosalie was far too invested in her 'human' life to want to leave, and Alice's natural curiosity meant she wanted to stay until she figured out what was going on. The only downside to her gift was that she was so used to knowing things that she couldn't stand not knowing them. She didn't think the consequences would be bad enough to make it worth giving up on the possibility of knowledge.

Jasper's Monday morning class with Aidan had become an exquisite form of torture as he ignored the professor in favor of trying to figure out what in the world was going on in Aidan's head. The Monday before Halloween, which fell on a Saturday this year, he left Emmett video chatting with Edward in their room about how well things were going as he headed out.

"And no one's wondered yet why you guys don't sleep or eat?" Edward asked incredulously.

"That's just college, baby." Emmett grinned broadly as Jasper gave his brother a quick wave and made his way out the door.

Today was probably Jasper's best shot at finding out how Aidan felt about vampires, since the topic today was 'rationalizing the supernatural'. It wasn't really related to the class, but it was the professor's field of expertise, and Jasper was grateful he had decided to include it anyway.

Jasper slid into his usual seat next to Aidan moments before the professor started the class, and they were soon told to discuss how they felt about the supernatural with one of their classmates.

Aidan turned to Jasper with his classic easy smile on his face, but his emotional palet told Jasper he was more anxious than usual. "So, Jazz, do you believe in ghosts?"

Jasper shrugged, deciding to go for 'unmoved but not completely uninterested'. "I think there are things in this world we don't have an explanation for, but I'm not sure I believe in ghosts, exactly. I just feel like we would know by now if ghosts, or mermaids, or vampires, or anything else, actually existed."

"Then again, if we subscribe to solipsism, we can't be sure anything is real except for ourselves," Aidan shot back. "So that means that, to me, you're just as real as ghosts are."

A few minutes later, the professor called the class's attention back to him and changed the PowerPoint to a slide that read: _The Legends of James Anderson University_. Underneath was a picture Jasper would estimate to be from the nineteenth century of a group of people who looked both nothing alike and eerily similar, standing around a central figure, a man in his late thirties or early forties.

"This is a photograph of James Anderson and his family, the only image that exists of them that isn't a painting," the professor explained. "Why am I showing you this during this class? Because many people believe JAU is a university intricately connected to the supernatural world." Jasper picked up his pen and started taking down the professor's lecture word for word. The fast clicking sound of Aidan's keyboard told him he wasn't the only person whose interest had suddenly been piqued. "JAU was built in less than a year, which should be impossible for humans to construct a place of this size. Moreover, no builders can be found who say they worked on the university. It was just there, suddenly. That is not the only feature that makes JAU unique. As you all know, the importance of Greek life here is rather uncommon at Northern universities, and its location in the forest makes it hard to access, as well as increasing the danger of students wandering off and getting attacked by an animal. How did James Anderson accomplish all of this? No one was able to ask him, as the Anderson family disappeared soon after the university opened its doors. There are, of course, many theories," he clicked on a button of his laptop and the slide changed again, this time showing a mind map of options that Jasper once again copied.

"Some say the university existed in the spirit realm and was transported to our world through some intricate ritual where James Anderson had to sacrifice his family members, that that's why they all disappeared and the buildings were named after them. Others claim that creatures with supernatural speed and strength, whether they be vampires, werewolves, ghouls or something else, built the university, and that they vanished before anyone could discover who they were."

At that, Jasper stopped writing, and the sound of Aidan's typing stopped, too. _Is that it?_ Jasper's mind screamed at him. _Is that why this constantly cloudy location was chosen? The South is off-limits to vampires, was Greek life made big here to allow us to experience it? But why is it so far away from big cities, vampires' usual hunting grounds? Unless…_ Jasper felt the final LEGO blocks click into place in his mind. _Carlisle isn't the only one who discovered vampires can live off animal blood_.

Jasper didn't listen to the rest of the lecture, only sent a group text to his siblings: _Have you ever seen a painting of James Anderson and his family?_ If his hunch was correct, the colors in the painting would offer them more information. When they all said they hadn't, Jasper asked them to meet him at the library the moment class was over. He was out of his seat the second the professor excused them, not waiting for Aidan as he usually did.

The Thomas Anderson Library was a large, imposing building, and he found Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett lounging on the steps leading up to the entrance.

"What's wrong?" Rosalie asked, jumping to her feet when Jasper approached.

Jasper shook his head. "I think I know what's going on with this place. It doesn't explain why Aidan and Laurel are suspicious, but it might tell us something about the university itself. There's a painting of the Anderson family in there, let's go and have a look."

They went into the building and were directed down several flights of stairs, to the archives, where the paintings were kept behind closed doors. Jasper pushed the archivist harder than he usually considered wise, convincing the woman to let them see one of the paintings. She let the four of them into a large room and hit the light switch before returning to her desk, electric lights blinking on and revealing the enormous painting hung on a rack on the left wall.

The painting was life-sized, the people on it similar heights to those that stood in front of it. It showed a group of fourteen people, who Jasper recognized from the photograph he had seen in class. At first sight, they looked nothing alike, with different hair colors, face shapes, and heights, but there were a few, poignant features they all shared, that became painfully obvious as Jasper desperately searched the painting for someone, anyone, who didn't look like that.

"Oh," Rosalie gasped.

"My," Alice whispered.

" _God_ ," Emmett finished

Staring back at the four of them, the Anderson family seemed eerily similar to the Cullens, albeit larger in size. Their icy white skin reflected in the bright lights, captured with such skill Jasper suspected the painter had had more than one lifetime to hone their practice. He found himself captured by the piercing gazes looking at him and his siblings, from fourteen matching pairs of unnaturally bright, hazel eyes.


	15. Let's get spooky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

The rest of the week leading up to Halloween was difficult for all of them, but Rosalie, who had to juggle both Lillian's suspicions about their relation and trying to come to terms with the fact that JAU had been founded by vampires, had never been less focused. The four of them had called Carlisle to relate their discovery and try to find some more information, but their father said he really had never heard of the Andersons. He had spent the first half of the nineteenth century in the northwest, and hadn't ventured east until after the family's mysterious disappearance. Carlisle had proposed they come back home, and Rosalie had been quite surprised when all four of them had told their father 'no'. She had expected Jasper, at least, to just want to run, and possibly Alice, too.

Instead, they had decided to stay and now she and Alice were getting ready for the Halloween party, hosted by one of the fraternities. Instead of setting up a couple's costume with their 'new' flings, they had been roped into group costumes by Lillian and Katy. Rosalie, Kristen, and Lillian were going as the Powerpuff Girls, so Rosalie had put on a pink dress and Alice helped her put a massive red bow in her hair. It looked a little weird to have your hair done by someone in an over-the-top Mary Sanderson costume, and Rosalie couldn't help but giggle while an increasingly moody Mary told her to sit still.

They met May (Sarah Sanderson) and Kristen (Buttercup) in the hallway, as had become tradition, and made their way over to Alpha Kappa Theta for Halloween dinner. Their group costumes were completed when they sat down with Lillian and Katy at what Rosalie had come to think of as their table. It seemed almost unreal to have a table in a sorority dining room and friends to laugh and gossip with while you all wore Halloween costumes, but also worry about the fact that your vampiric identity may be uncovered at any turn.

"How are you doing with the boys?" Katy asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively in Rosalie and Alice's direction.

Alice smiled and, for a moment, Rosalie felt a stab of jealousy towards her sister, who didn't worry about the situation yet. She didn't think anything would happen before Christmas break, but Rosalie's usual trust in Alice was wavering as the risks they were taking increased. She wished she, too, could be certain of the future. "I don't have much to report," Alice said. "How about you, Rose?"

Rosalie shrugged, trying her best to imitate Alice's calmness. "Nothing has changed. Emmett continues to be really fun to be around, and I love hanging out with him. Plus," she continued with a conspiratorial smile, deciding to give her friends a little bit of the dirt they craved, "he's a great kisser."

The girls giggled. "Isn't it weird to have Alice basically dating your brother, though?" Kristen asked.

"I think it's fantastic," Rosalie answered truthfully. "Jazz deserves someone nice like Alice, and I trust her not to shatter his heart completely."

Kristen grinned. "I was going to ask Alice how she felt about it, but I think I know the answer. I mean, he's _hot_ , sorry Rose, kind, and has this beautiful southern lilt sometimes. As the wise women of The Chicks once said, I do need a cowboy to take me away. Or a cowgirl, I'm not a picky woman."

Katy rolled her eyes. "Enough talk about boys, sisters before misters! Let's just make this a night to remember, ladies." She raised her glass and they toasted, chorusing: _to a night to remember_.

When their sorority made their way down the street to the party, they were joined by the group of boys spilling out of the Gamma Delta Tau house. Laurel smiled as Aidan took her hand and pulled her close, a pocket of warmth in the cold October night. Laurel's costume, which consisted of her normal clothes but with a big, fake wound on her neck, suddenly made sense, as Aidan was wearing a dramatic cape and plastic fangs. When he caught her eye and smiled, Rosalie couldn't help but feel like he was saying: _I know your secret_. She was distracted, however, when she spotted Jasper and Emmett, accompanied by Troy, Robert, and Cameron.

"What the hell are they wearing," she mumbled, to no one in particular. Alice was audibly trying and failing to hold in her laughter, two hands clasped over her mouth.

Emmett had seen them too and waved, the group letting their brothers continue as they waited for the girls to catch up. "Hello, ladies, love the costumes," Emmett complimented. He was wearing blue sweatpants and an orange crop top that showed off some nice abs Rosalie was usually the first to appreciate.

Kristen quickly put the boys' costume together. "Oh my God, please tell me you're the Spice Girls!" she squealed.

Cameron, in a Union Jack T-shirt, laughed. "Yep, I'm Ginger Spice of course, and Em's Sporty Spice."

Troy was wearing a light pink shirt and light jeans, one arm slung around Robert's shoulder. He nodded at the girls. "Baby Spice, nice to make your acquaintance."

Robert smiled up at him, dressed himself in tight, black clothing. "I managed to convince them to let me be Posh Spice, don't know how, but I'm not complaining."

Finally, Rosalie turned to Jasper, who looked good but a little uncomfortable in a leopard print T-shirt and black pants, tighter than she had ever seen him wear, the longer strands in his hair pulled up into two space buns. "I'm Scary Spice." _Whatever the hell that means_ , his face screamed.

"It's a great look," Rosalie said, forcing her face to remain neutral as she tried her best not to laugh. Next to her, Alice was on the verge of collapsing, holding on to Rosalie's arm for balance as she gasped and giggled.

Jasper cocked his head to the side, giving his wife an inquiring look. "You okay there, Al?" he asked. Rosalie felt him push Alice's amusement further and the girl's knees buckled.

May quickly grabbed Alice's other arm with a broad grin on her face, and pushed her into Jasper's direction. "You're the one that made her laugh, so it's on you to carry her to the party. Shall we?" Jasper wrapped an arm tightly around Alice, pulling her towards the frat house as the rest of the group followed.

The fraternity that was in charge of hosting the Halloween party had gone all out. The house was draped in fake spider webs and there was a ghost on the front lawn that clearly had a motion sensor, as it started lighting up and shrieking when they got near it. Kristen yelled back immediately, matching the pitch and tone perfectly, and Rosalie joined the others' laughter.

Laurel and Aidan were waiting for them at the door, making sure all of their subjects were safely at the frat house before they let loose a little. Rosalie couldn't help but feel like their eyes lingered on Alice and Jasper, still holding each other close even though her laughing jack had passed, and herself and Emmett, arms around each other as Emmett told her something funny that had happened in one of his classes on Friday.

_Calm down, Rosalie_ , she thought to herself. _Even though the fact that JAU was founded by vampires must have some repercussions in the modern age, that doesn't mean Laurel and Aidan, specifically, know anything. Unless 'vampire knowledge' is a prerequisite to becoming president of one of the Greek organizations here. Shit_. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She didn't know where this was going (although she suspected the answer was south, swiftly), so there was no reason she and her siblings couldn't have one last night of fun before this whole experiment came crashing down around them.

Rosalie grabbed Lillian and Kristen's hands and pulled them onto the dance floor. She could see Alice doing the same things while the boys made a beeline for the drinks table, and knew her sister was thinking the same thing as she: if this was one of their last nights with their friends, they were going to make it count.

The rest of the party was a blur, as Rosalie danced until her friends couldn't anymore, then sat with them and laughed and talked, and finally danced some more. She was as close to out of breath as she could be when, during the darkest part of the night right before the morning sun creeps over the horizon, Emmett pulled her into the garden. It was a popular make-out spot, but Emmett found a space a little away from the other couples.

"Are you having fun, Rosie?" he asked, so gently Rosalie's thoughts about her friends and worries about Laurel and Aidan evaporated and her mind focused completely on Emmett.

"Of course I am," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, pulling his hand through his hair in a boyish manner that always reminded her of why she had fallen for him that first time they met. "If this all goes wrong, I just want to make sure you've had the perfect college romance. I'm sorry we couldn't drag it out longer, that would've been fun."

She smiled, putting her hands around his neck and pulling his forehead down so she could rest her own against it. "Em, any romance I have with you is perfect."

He grinned back. "Careful, you're gonna blow my ego out of proportion if you talk like that."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and, instead of answering, pulled his face down to hers to kiss him softly.


	16. The name is Bond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

Emmett had always thought Jasper needed to learn how to kick back and relax in the face of adversity, but wasn't certain this immersion therapy was really doing it for his brother. The revelation that JAU was founded by vampires had triggered even more stress hormones than simply trying not to kill anyone, and Jasper had turned into a giant, blond anxiety machine. Emmett could see his constantly tense muscles, ready to jump and fight at any moment. He knew it took everything Jasper had to not beg Alice to just leave, but Emmett suspected Jasper's instinct to learn everything he could about his enemy was currently dominant. However, having to live in the same room as someone who was always ready to fight off an entire army of newborns on his own got pretty bothersome quite soon, so Emmett decided it was high time for a distraction.

One rainy Friday night in November, when Rosalie and Alice were going out with their friends, Emmett collected Jasper and Cameron in his room, giving them a conspiratorial glance. "Guess what I overheard Troy and Robert discuss yesterday?" he asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. Jasper, probably already being infected by Emmett's good mood, looked intrigued, and Cameron too bent in Emmett's direction. "I think they're going on a date tonight, and I need to know _everything_ that happens. So, who wants to go to the indoor fun golfing place to, you know, golf in a fun way," Emmett wasn't sure what indoor fun golfing was but was generally a supporter of fun things, "but to also 'accidentally' watch what those two are up to?"

Cameron raised both arms in the air. "Me! I've wanted to check that place out for a while and I'm also quite invested in Rob's dating life. We tried to set him up several times last year, but things just never worked out. I'm happy he found someone, especially if that someone is my sweet Little."

Jasper looked a little more doubtful. "Shouldn't we just let them be?" he asked. "I'm sure they'll tell us when they want to."

Emmett and Cameron rolled their eyes at each other. "Where's the fun in that?!" Emmett exclaimed. "Loosen up a little, Jazz, you've been way too stressed recently." He shot his brother a meaningful look that Cameron hopefully didn't catch.

Jasper threw his hands in the air, a similar gesture to Cameron's earlier one, but with a completely different emotion behind it. "Fine. But if we get caught, I'm blaming you two."

Emmett drove the three of them about half an hour north, to the nearest town that had all sorts of places that catered to the students of JAU. Cameron admired the Jeep with clear interest. "Do a lot of off-roading in Tennessee?" he asked.

"You have no idea," Emmett answered, and he heard Jasper snort in the back seat.

From the outside, the fun golfing place looked more like a club, with neon lights around the entrance, pounding music spilling onto the sidewalk, and a bouncer checking ID's.

Cameron suddenly jumped behind one of the bushes of the cafe next door, pulling Emmett and Jasper with him. "Look," he hissed, and Emmett looked over to see Robert and Troy approach the bouncer. They were in a stage Emmett recognized as 'almost holding hands', where both parties are too nervous to go for it, so they just walk close together, letting their hands touch without entwining them.

"Looks like it's going well," Emmett stage whispered to his friends.

Cameron nodded, a smile playing around his lips. "This feels so exciting, almost like we're spies. Only our mission is to make sure our friends are happy."

"My kind of mission," Emmett said. "Shall we go in?" Troy and Robert had disappeared inside already, so they approached the bouncer, who stamped their hands with the 'under 21'-mark after they showed their ID's, something Emmett found more than a little funny.

The place was a jungle of pushing bodies, neon lights, and people posing with golf clubs. Emmett could see Jasper already starting to hold his breath, so he offered to go grab them some clubs. They let a large group of giggling girls go ahead of them to put some distance between themselves and Robert and Troy. Emmett's vampire eyes could see exactly where on Robert's shoulder Troy's hand was resting, but he didn't mention it, since Cameron wouldn't be able to pick it up in the dim lightning.

Cameron did, however, pick up the closeness of the other boys' bodies. "Still going great," he commented, and waved his club at Emmett and Jasper. "Do you guys also want to actually play some golf? I bet I can beat you both."

Emmett and Jasper took that challenge without hesitation, and immediately pulled ahead of Cameron by both getting a hole-in-one. By the time they got to the fourth hole, Emmett was so invested in trying to put Jasper off his game so he would fall behind, that he had all but forgotten about their reason for being here. Cameron, however, was more focused.

"Get behind the pillar, they're looking," he hissed, pushing them towards the desired location with his body. He raised his eyebrows at them. "Man, are you guys all muscle? That hurt." He rubbed the shoulder he had pushed into Jasper's chest.

Jasper shrugged. "I think you hit the pillar too, Cam," he said, and Emmett felt him push down Cameron's suspicion a little.

Cameron forgot about it immediately and peered around the pillar, ignoring the strange looks the couple behind them was giving him. "I think the coast is clear, let's go."

He walked around the pillar and Emmett followed, Jasper right behind him, only to bump into each other when Cameron stopped dead. Over Cameron's shoulder, Emmett could see why: Robert and Troy were standing in front of them, eyebrows raised, hands still touching but not holding each other.

"Hey guys! What fun bumping into you here!" Cameron said, in the fakest happy voice Emmett had ever heard.

Troy shot Robert an incredulous look, but Emmett could also see a grin playing around his lips. "What are you doing here," he said, trying to sound strict but also clearly on the verge of bursting into laughter.

Emmett held up his club. "Playing golf?" he suggested.

"And…" Robert prompted. He had looked less amused than Troy at first, but the humor of the situation seemed to be getting to him, too.

"And, maybe, possibly, completely incidentally, looking out for our best buds," Jasper filled in. Emmett elbowed him in the ribs, but his brother only shrugged. "It's not like they didn't know."

Troy's face broke into a big grin. "We assumed something like that when we spotted you hiding behind a bush at the entrance."

Emmett felt his jaw drop. "You saw that?"

Robert and Troy exchanged an incredulous look that reminded Emmett of how Rosalie and Jasper sometimes looked at each other. "Of course," Troy dead-panned. "I would say you're like Dumb and Dumber doing spies, but there's three of you."

"Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest," Robert suggested, pointing at Jasper, Cameron, and Emmett in turn.

Cameron gasped loudly. "Hey, I'm clearly Dumbest."

Jasper grinned, but looked a little apologetic. "Anyway, we'll let you back to your date. Unless you want to turn this relationship into a fivesome, of course."

Troy and Robert exchanged another exasperated glance and shook their heads in unison. "Just join our game, idiots," Robert said. "But if you dare show up on the next one, this will be a fivesome and I'm expecting you all to come down and meet my mom over Christmas."

Emmett laughed. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Yeah, that sounds great, Rob. I mean, what's better than just guys being dudes, going on dates with their bros," Cameron agreed.

They compiled their points sheets and continued down the course. Emmett managed to win, but only because he unceremoniously pushed Jasper while he was making a shot, which Jasper promised would have unwanted consequences when Emmett was least expecting it. When they left the fun golfing place, Emmett saw Robert grab Troy's hand and pull him close to him, and Emmett felt his heart lift at the memories he had made that evening. No matter what came next, he would get to keep those. Forever.


	17. A guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

A few days later, Jasper sat with his friends at their usual table in the Gamma Delta Tau dining room as he watched the young man standing next to Aidan with a certain level of suspicion. He was in his late twenties, sharply dressed in a well-tailored suit, although he had taken off his tie to give himself an air of casualness. He resembled Aidan so much, both in looks and in the way they moved, that Jasper's memory immediately supplied him with the identity of the person: Aidan's older brother Liam.

His suspicion was confirmed when Aidan introduced him just before dinner started. "I thought it would be nice for you to meet an alumnus, see what one of our brothers is doing after college, so my _biological_ brother Liam," the distinction earned him a few laughs from the group, "was nice enough to come all the way from Boston to see us," Aidan explained. He sounded happy, but Jasper felt the invisible tension in his body. Nerves, probably, from wanting to perform well in front of his brother. "Liam was actually president of Gamma Delta Tau in his time at JAU."

Instead of sticking to Aidan, as Jasper had expected, Liam made a quick round through the dining room, exchanging pleasantries with a few brothers, before spotting the empty seat at their table. He slid into it with a casualness that was too obvious to be genuine, and Jasper really started to get worried. Liam projected a similar kind of anxiety to Aidan, that spiked when his eyes met Jasper's and Emmett's as they made their way around the table.

"Is it okay if I sit here?" Liam asked and, for a moment, Jasper wondered whether there was a way he could say no without seeming extremely rude.

Troy, who was sitting next to Liam, had no such reservations. "Of course," he sparkled, sending one of his sunshine smiles Liam's way as he introduced the five of them. "Are you joining us tonight? We've got games night with Theta across the road."

Liam took a bite and nodded. "Absolutely," he said, a small sparkle appearing in his dark eyes. "Didn't Aidan tell you? I'm undefeated at Trivial Pursuit."

Emmett grinned. "Undefeated until now!" Liam smiled back but Jasper didn't miss the wary glance he shot in Emmett's direction, or the way his emotions, for a single second, jumped to pure panic.

Later that night they were at the Alpha Kappa Theta house, making teams for Trivial Pursuit with, as Troy called them, the usual suspects plus Laurel, Aidan, Liam, and the alumna who had visited the sorority today: Aidan and Liam's mother, a short woman with a kind smile whom Jasper stubbornly referred to as Mrs Daniels, but who insisted they call her Elizabeth, or, even better, Liz. Jasper ended up with Alice and Liam on his team, while Emmett had claimed Rosalie and been assigned Mrs Daniels. Robert, Cameron, and Troy formed team three, Kristen, May, and Katy team four, and Aidan, Laurel, and Lillian team five.

After the first few rounds, Jasper's team started to pull ahead, since Liam indeed turned out to have an absolutely ridiculous arsenal of random facts at his disposal, and Jasper and Alice were able to fill in the gaps; either with their vampire memories or because Alice wasn't above cheating.

Liam examined Jasper and Alice closely. "You guys are almost as good at trivia as I am," he said, with a smile that wasn't reflected in his emotions.

Rosalie, who had caught the Daniels family's strange mood even before Jasper had whispered it in her ear, decided to jump in quickly. "Jazz was always that one kid who wanted to read instead of play," she giggled teasingly from where she was leaning against Emmett's shoulder. "At least it's paying off now."

Jasper tried his best to look embarrassed. "I thought we had agreed that if you didn't mention that, I wouldn't talk about the time you dressed as Peppa Pig for Halloween." Peppa Pig was about the only cultural reference Jasper was familiar with, because Nessie had had such a huge Peppa phase it had been hard to miss.

"That's kind of cute, though," Laurel insisted. Jasper hadn't been paying much attention to her, but he could suddenly feel the same undercurrent of anxiety coming from her. Was she in on whatever made the Daniels family so nervous tonight?

First, however, he decided to tease Rosalie, who was making pleading motions across the room despite having no idea what was coming, a little more. "Sure, but not when you're thirteen," he said. Rosalie closed her eyes and fell back on the couch in exasperation, as if she couldn't believe he had said that.

May laughed. "I'm sure you pulled it off, Rose. You looked fantastic as Blossom, too, pink is clearly your color."

Lillian nodded enthusiastically. "You pull everything off."

"So do you!" Rosalie answered.

Mrs Daniels looked from one girl to the other. "You two really look alike, now that I'm thinking about it. It's not just the hair, there's also something in the shape of your face and nose. You could almost be sisters."

Lillian laughed. "I do have a family member named Rosalie Hale, but she was born in the early twentieth century, so I doubt this is the same one."

The group joined her laughter, but Jasper didn't miss the looks Aidan, Laurel, Liam, and Mrs Daniels exchanged. From the look on her face, neither did Rosalie. She grabbed the dice. "It's our turn, right? Emmett, roll good."

Later, after Jasper's team had destroyed the others, Jasper found himself sitting on the porch steps with Aidan and Liam, waiting for the others to come out so they could leave. He knew this was his moment to try and alleviate their suspicions, so he asked: "How is it to be back at JAU, Liam?"

Liam jostled his brother with his shoulder. "Well, it's great to see the little one, obviously," he started, and Jasper noticed that was the first moment of genuine happiness he had seen the Daniels brothers share. "Plus, it's good to meet some new brothers." Liam's eyes focused back on Jasper, and all kindness drained from them.

Jasper answered Liam's gaze, disseminating a feeling of peace in the hope that would lessen the brothers' anxiety. It didn't seem to work; instead, Aidan and Liam frowned in the exact same way and, for a moment, Jasper wondered whether they were aware of his influence. The spell was broken when three pairs of footsteps thundered out of the house and down the porch steps.

"Ready to go?" Cameron asked Aidan, and they split up, Aidan, Liam, Cameron, and Robert heading back to the frat as Jasper, Emmett, and Troy made their way across campus towards their dorm.

"What did you guys think of Liam?" Troy asked, seemingly unaware of Jasper's quickly spiraling mood as they walked towards Richard at a brisk pace.

Emmett shrugged. "He seemed nice enough," he said, giving Jasper a questioning look.

"We'll talk later," Jasper hissed, quickly and softly enough only Emmett would catch it. "Yeah, he seemed cool," he agreed to Troy.

In their room, Emmett stared at Jasper for a few moments before asking: "Anything you would like to share about the Daniels family?"

Before Jasper could answer, a knock on the window startled them both, and they opened it to reveal Alice and Rosalie waiting outside. The girls easily hopped into the room. "We need to talk," Alice said.

Jasper nodded. "I agree. I don't know what's happening, exactly, but the Daniels family knows… something. And so does Laurel, I think. They were all extremely on edge and suspicious today, and things didn't get better when Lillian pointed out she was related to Rose."

Alice barely seemed to be listening, her eyes glazed over as she flicked through her visions. "We don't have much time," she said. "Remember the vision of us running away? It's gotten much closer… I'm not even sure we're going to make it to Christmas break." She shook her head. "Aidan is going to ask you two on a boys' trip with his brother, where you're 'accidentally' going to run into us and Laurel, and then I think they'll ask us some questions, but I don't know when or how."

Jasper clenched his jaw. "That's it, let's just leave. This was fun while it lasted, but we can't risk it."

Emmett shrugged. "Let's not make any rash decisions before we find out what they know or want. If things go really wrong, we can always just run away from that boys night. There's no way they'll catch us. We'll have to hide for a few decades, but we'll survive."

Alice nodded. "I want to know what's going on now." Jasper groaned softly. The problem with Alice was that her gift meant she was used to knowing things, and that she would go to extreme lengths to achieve that.

"Guys, _for once_ , can you just listen to me when I say something is a bad idea," Jasper said. He turned to his sister, who had stayed outside of the conversation until now. "Back me up here, Rose."

Rosalie blinked a few times when she heard her name. "I want to stay," she said, with so much careful composition Jasper immediately scanned her emotions to find what was beneath it. He was surprised at the sheer amount of desperation and need he discovered, and raised his eyebrows, encouraging her to explain. Rosalie sat down on Emmett's bed with her shoulders hunched, a very human gesture that already gave Jasper a clue as to what she was going to say. "I like it here," she started, emotions so audible in her voice Alice stopped looking at her visions and turned towards her sister. "I like making friends and taking classes, even if they're easy, and being in the sorority. I love getting to know Lillian, getting to know what my family has been up to in the past century." She offered her siblings a small smile. "I don't really care what they do or don't know. I just want to ride this until the wheels fall off."

Jasper didn't need his gift to know she was being genuine, and he nodded. If this was so important to Rosalie, he could hold on a little longer. "Okay," he said softly. "We'll stay, find out what Aidan and Laurel know. If it's too much, however," he sat down next to Rosalie on the bed, "we have to go. It's dangerous for them to know, and for us, too. Lord knows the Volturi would be more than happy for an excuse to take another trip to the States."

Rosalie nodded. "If they know too much, we'll leave. I promise."

Jasper put an arm around his sister, and she leaned against him, sharing her feelings for the moments they still had left.


	18. Girls trip!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

Alice couldn't help but be the tiniest bit excited when Laurel asked her and Rosalie to go shopping with her on Saturday. Laurel had been doing activities with the new sisters every weekend and, even though Alice knew this was merely a pretext for something much less pleasant, she was happy to be included. May and Kristen had been picked the week before, and the pictures from their night of bowling had made Alice a little jealous. Laurel had told them she had picked Alice and Rosalie, specifically, because they both had a good eye for fashion. Alice was happy to see no lie in her eyes when Laurel said that, and she was happy her talents were recognized- even if this trip was mainly a way to get Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett alone in a room with Laurel and the Daniels family. She just hoped there would be some actual shopping to be done before they were exposed as vampires.

They took Laurel's Mercedes up to town, and Rosalie and Laurel spent most of the drive discussing the merits of the car in comparison to Rosalie's BMW. Alice tuned out most of the conversation, preferring to flick through her visions. Nothing had changed since the games night: they ran into the boys in town and were escorted to the apartment where Mrs Daniels was staying, where a yet undefined conversation would take place (but it didn't look good); she and her siblings sprinted away from the university, the last few orange leaves on the trees sticking out brightly against the gray New Hampshire sky. When Alice looked out the window, the leaves in real life and in her vision looked exactly the same.

Alice decided to not let their impending doom stop her from enjoying a day of shopping. They spent way more time in each store than Alice usually did, partly because she couldn't just tell Laurel she would never wear that skirt no matter how good it looked on the mannequin, and partly because Alice didn't usually go shopping with someone who loved fashion the way she did. Rosalie was good at creating outfits in her head, at deciding which pieces would go with what, but there was nothing like having a twenty-minute discussion about the history of women's pockets as you stood looking at jeans for so long the salesperson became _very_ agitated. Alice had thought this day would cheer her up, but the knowledge of what was coming made her increasingly sad as she felt herself being pulled in by Laurel more and more. She had never been particularly bothered by the loneliness vampirism caused for others, had found everything she needed in Jasper, but _by God_ , it was nice to have friends.

When they took a break in the food court, Alice decided she was officially desperate enough to see if she could, by some miracle, change the future. The visions were getting clearer by the second, but Rosalie's somber face and her own quickly deteriorating mood meant she had to try.

Alice and Rosalie had been shifting their food around on their plates under the watchful eye of Laurel, who kept encouraging them to eat something, so Alice decided to obey. She stabbed her fork into her salad and took a bite, ensuring she made direct eye contact with Laurel, who managed to hide her surprise after her eyes widened for only a few moments. She nodded in Alice's direction. "Is it good? I was thinking about getting that."

Alice highly doubted that, since Laurel had made a beeline towards Subway the second they had gotten to the food court, but smiled at her anyway. "Yeah, surprisingly nice for a food court. Want a bite?"

Laurel obediently took a bite from Alice's fork, giggling along with Alice and Rosalie when a lettuce leaf fell down her chin and onto her tray. Alice could see the doubt fading from her eyes for a moment, until she and Alice touched hands accidentally. Laurel recoiled as she touched Alice's stone cold skin and her blue eyes showed her panic as she definitively decided the people across from her were nothing close to human.

Rosalie seemed to have noted the exchange, and took a bite herself, in an attempt to save an already lost situation. "What stores do you want to hit next?" she asked.

"Let's do Victoria's Secret," Laurel proposed, recovering from her shock. "And I think I want to hit up Macy's, too. I saw they had some really cute new kids' clothes, I want to find some to send home."

Rosalie's interest was visibly piqued at the mention of a child, and she leaned towards Laurel eagerly. "Who is it for?"

"My daughter," Laurel said, her face softening as a small smile appeared on her lips.

Rosalie gasped, and Alice gave her sister a warning glance. Better not be too excited about human children if their mother thought you drank blood to survive.   
Rosalie, however, was so visibly delighted Alice couldn't imagine Laurel thought she had morbid things in mind. "You have a daughter?" Rosalie whispered.

Laurel nodded. "Nikki. Despite the fact that I absolutely wasn't ready to be a mother, she's the best thing in my life. She started kindergarten this year, and I'm sad I can't be there, but I had to come up here."

Alice couldn't help but wonder at the way she formulated the last sentence, but Rosalie was distracted, sighing deeply as she looked into the distance. The vision hit a millisecond before Rosalie spoke, and there was nothing Alice could do. "I wish I could have kids," Rosalie said.

"You can't?" Laurel asked. Rosalie just shook her head, and Laurel's manners were good enough to not press the issue, or even ask why an eighteen-year-old girl who just started college was so invested in having a child. "You can help me pick clothes for her, if you like. Everything you've picked so far has been gorgeous, so I'm sure you can hack this too," Laurel offered.

Rosalie's face lit up, and Alice immediately knew that, no matter what came next, it would all have been worth it to her sister. Laurel showed them some pictures of a sweet little girl with her mother's auburn hair and bright green eyes that popped even in the photos. Alice especially liked the last one, where Nikki was holding hands with both Laurel and Aidan as they lifted her off the ground.

"That was the first time they met," Laurel explained. "They had their own inside jokes in twenty minutes. I would have dumped any boyfriend immediately if Nik didn't like him."

Alice could see the want in Rosalie's face, and decided to distract her sister a little with the fun part of having a friend with a child. "Let's go find Nikki some nice winter clothes, then. Although Florida winter isn't really winter," she laughed.

The others got up, too, and they went straight to Macy's, where Rosalie _died_ over the tiny cardigans, and Alice convinced the other two that green was really Nikki's color. Laurel sighed. "I know, I know, but I just love pink."

When they left the mall, Alice could see the boys were only minutes away, and decided to take her chance while she still could. "What did you mean, Laurel, when you said you had to come up here? Why not go to school closer to your daughter?"

Laurel seemed to regain awareness of her final purpose today, the conversation that was getting closer with every step, at that question. "Family obligations," she explained. "The Spencers have been a part of JAU since it was founded. One of them was in the group of students that disappeared along with the Anderson family, actually."

Alice frowned. "Students disappeared, too?"

Laurel seemed surprised at Alice's ignorance, but nodded. "The first class of JAU, class of 1824, disappeared mysteriously along with the Andersons. No sign was found of Jonathan Spencer, his classmates, or the family ever again."

Alice was about to ask another question, when they heard their names being called. When they turned, they saw Aidan waving enthusiastically, Emmett, Jasper, and Liam standing behind him. Liam was eyeing Jasper and Emmett suspiciously, who had their hands deep in their pockets and deep frowns plastered on their foreheads. They, too, knew what would come next.

When the boys reached them, Alice hooked her arm through Jasper's, wanting to be able to lean against him as things went downhill from here.


	19. A difficult conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!

When she startled as they saw the boys, Rosalie suddenly realized she had managed to convince herself this shopping trip with Laurel had nothing to do with the difficult future Alice saw thundering towards them. She had told herself that Laurel simply wanted to get to know them, that, despite evidence pointing towards the contrary, Alice was wrong. She had to be, because Rosalie was far from ready to let go of this dream.

The remnants of hope were shattered when Liam proposed they drop by his mother's apartment for some refreshments before heading back to JAU. Alice gave her siblings a pointed look as she cheerfully agreed, and Rosalie knew this was the beginning of the end. She had half a mind to try to get out of it, but the Daniels brothers' set jaws and Laurel's determined eyes told her this wasn't a request, exactly.

Liam led them to an apartment just outside the city center, where Mrs Daniels welcomed them to her small but classy living room. Rosalie didn't think her sons resembled her, exactly, but their varying features yet managed to create a similar type of beauty: soft and classically human, so far removed from the sharp edges that constituted the vampires' faces.

Mrs Daniels smiled at the four of them, but Rosalie could see in Jasper's narrowed eyes that it didn't reflect her emotions. "It's good to see you again," she said softly.

Alice somehow found it in herself to smile back. "You too, Mrs Daniels."

"Please," she answered, motioning for them to sit down, "call me Elizabeth." They all sat down, the four Cullens squeezing on one of the couches meant for only two people, unwilling to be too far away from each other during this confrontation. Mrs Daniels, Rosalie refused to think of her as Elizabeth, continued: "Are you aware of JAU's history?"

Alice nodded. "Laurel just told us that not just the founders but also the first class disappeared."

"Yes, they cost the lives of both a Spencer," Mrs Daniels nodded at Laurel, "and a Reaser, which is my maiden name. His name was Jasper, actually. Funny, that's not a very common name anymore in the United States."

Jasper seemed to be swaying between keeping up pretense and just coming clean, so Rosalie cut in. "Our mother preferred old-fashioned names," she said. The amount of girls called Rosalie, too, had steeply declined over the past few decades, which meant that her and Jasper's names somehow fit together nicely, even though they were born seventy years apart.

Liam narrowed his eyes at her. "You know we know, right?" The statement rang through the apartment like a church bell, and there were ten seconds of pure silence before anyone dared to respond.

"Know what," Emmett challenged.

The answer, surprisingly, came from Laurel, who had so far stayed in the background while the Daniels family led the conversation: "That, like the founders of JAU, you're… vampires, for lack of a better word."

"What better word could there be," Jasper said dryly. His voice sounded rougher than Rosalie had expected, and, when she looked over, she could see from the deep frown on his face that he was concentrating hard. She wondered how scared and aggressive the humans would be if Jasper wasn't doing whatever he was doing.

Mrs Daniels shrugged. "According to Jasper Reaser's diary, the Anderson family didn't like the term, as they associated it with the less civilized of their kind. They didn't consume human blood, that made them different."

"Neither do we," Rosalie admitted. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" She pointed at her hazel eyes, and the humans nodded. She sighed. "What do you want, then." She couldn't stop the bitterness from shining through in her voice. It was just their luck that the one university that had seemed perfect for their Greek life fun was established by vampires, and that the people who currently attended it remembered that. Rosalie didn't want to leave; she wanted to finish watching _How to Get Away with Murder_ with May; she wanted to set up Kristen and that cute girl from the sorority down the road; she wanted to finish her degree and walk down the stage to collect her diploma while her parents cheered her on and take pictures of her kissing her boyfriend in front of the redbrick buildings and be proposed to on graduation night and, damn it, she wanted to be normal. A blazing rage overtook her as she realized that all that was standing between her and that dream were four weak, measly humans, but she felt Jasper push her emotions down with all his might.

Rosalie snapped her head towards her brother. "Don't," she spat.

"Then cool it, Rose," he hissed back through gritted teeth. Emmett and Alice now turned to Rosalie too, and she could see Alice tensing up as she flipped through her visions while Rosalie considered whether or not she would kill the people in front of her.

When Laurel's worried eyes met her own, however, Rosalie could feel all her anger draining from her. Even though she didn't harbor any particularly strong feelings towards the Daniels family, Laurel Spencer had become her friend, and the mere thought of taking her away from her daughter was too much for Rosalie. She fell back against the couch, and Alice and Jasper, too, relaxed.

Emmett put an arm around Rosalie's shoulder, pulling her close, and examined the people in front of them. "So, what do you want from us?" he asked, reiterating Rosalie's question in a slightly friendlier tone.

Mrs Daniels didn't hesitate before she answered: "We want some answers, and then we want you to leave. We're not too excited about a repeat of what happened to the class of 1824."

"I don't think we'll be able to help you," Alice said softly. "None of us were alive in the early nineteenth century, and our father, or coven leader I guess, had never heard of the Anderson family. He searched for other 'vegetarian' vampires, but couldn't find them. We have just as little idea of what happened to the family and the students as you do."

Jasper looked pensive. "I mean, I have a theory." The humans immediately leaned towards him, eager for an answer, even a speculative one. "The Volturi," he said, as if it should have been obvious. "It's forbidden to reveal ourselves to humans, which the Andersons did, so the Volturi came and wiped them, and the humans who were in the know, off the map. They missed some things, clearly, but that must be what happened."

Emmett nodded. "You're really smart sometimes, Jazz," he observed, and Rosalie couldn't help but chuckle.

"Can we talk to them?" Mrs Daniels asked.

"No!" Rosalie and her siblings exclaimed as one. Rosalie continued: "They'll kill us, and you too, if they find out you know about us. And they'll probably go after our parents and niece and brother and sister-in-law too, please, _please_ , don't tell anyone."

"We won't," Aidan said softly. It was the first time he had spoken, but he sounded genuine. "You guys can't stay here, though. Those Volturi guys could find out we know, and return to JAU. You have to leave."

Alice was the first person to collect herself enough to formulate an answer. "We will, but can we at least collect our things and say goodbye?" She exchanged a look with her siblings and Rosalie recognized the soft sadness that came with having made friends knowing you would have to leave them eventually shining in all of their eyes. "We've never gotten this close to humans. We'll miss our friends."

The others exchanged a look, and Aidan nodded. "Sure, just say goodbye to a select number of people and go quietly, please."

Alice suddenly stiffened, and a smile appeared on her face. "That's better," she whispered. "We're not running anymore. We'll say goodbye, get in Emmett's Jeep, and drive back to Idaho. Let's call Carlisle to warn him, though."

She pulled out her phone and dialed his number at vampire speed, the humans' eyes widening as they watched her fingers fly around the screen. Carlisle picked up on the first ring, and Alice put him on speaker.

"You guys okay?" Carlisle greeted them, and Rosalie couldn't suppress a smile at the familiar sound of her father's voice. Alice explained the situation and warned him about the people in the room with them, which led to Carlisle having a polite yet tense conversation with Mrs Daniels about the way the knowledge of vampires had been passed down in her family.

Esme cut in just as the conversation came to a natural end. Rosalie assumed she had come in inaudibly to listen to what was said. "So, you're coming home?" she asked, hope shining through in her voice.

His smile was audible when Emmett said: "Yes, mom, we're coming home, and I think I speak for all of us when I say I can't wait to see you again." Rosalie noted the way the humans looked at each other as they heard the love in Emmett's voice. She was certain they didn't expect the heartless, blood-sucking monsters of horror stories and fairytales to be able to love the way they did.

"We'll see you soon," Carlisle said, sounding relieved. They said their goodbyes and Rosalie felt all the tension leave her body. They were going home, she realized she still thought of her parents' house as home, but first, they had to say goodbye to the friends they, despite their better judgement, had come to love.


	20. Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like last time, this story was based on a Tumblr post I saw (https://smeyerskhakifetish.tumblr.com/post/621049220880793601/the-cullens-go-to-college-emmett-joins-a-frat), so the credit for the idea goes to this person!  
> And just like that, this fanfic has come to the end! Thank you so much for reading, giving kudos, and commenting! You have truly lightened my days, so thank you again! I do have some ideas for further fanfics (it may be over a month/two months before I start working on them though) so stay tuned! <3

No one talked as Aidan's car followed Laurel's convertible down the forest road back towards JAU. Liam hadn't spoken a single word to the vampires since they left Mrs Daniels's apartment, and Emmett didn't feel like being the one to try and close that gap. The defeated look on Rosalie's face when she realized the Daniels family was hell-bent on making them leave was enough to make Emmett genuinely despise them. Even though Emmett thought they may have been able to convince Aidan to let them stay if his family hadn't been there, he hadn't offered up any resistance to his mother and brother's decision. Emmett hadn't wanted to separate from Rosalie, but could see in the way Laurel took Alice and Rosalie's hands that the girl desired to spend these final moments together. He would have felt the same if it had been Cameron, Robert, or Troy in the car with them.

When they reached the university, the Cullen siblings said goodbye to their presidents and spent a few minutes packing their bags in their dorms and carrying them to Emmett's Jeep. There was nothing to say, except coordinating a time to ask their friends to meet them. They decided on one of the side roads leading away from JAU as the place for their goodbyes, so they parked the car and waited leaning against it, Rosalie and Alice standing between Emmett and Jasper. Their friends, as Emmett had started thinking about them (though he couldn't remember when that had happened), appeared a few minutes before the appointed time, in a group instead of separate. Emmett could see in their straight, serious faces that a part of them knew this would be goodbye; maybe a part of them had always picked up on the fact that Emmett and his siblings were not a part of the world they inhabited. Robert and Troy walked hand in hand; Cameron's bright orange hair winked at Emmett from his place next to them; May's tall, lean frame stood proudly like a tree in the wind, lavender hair blowing softly around her face; Kristen was frowning behind her thick glasses; Katy and Lillian brought up the rear, heads together, whispering things Emmett couldn't pick up.

When their friends reached them, Cameron was the first to speak, smiling softly and sadly. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

Emmett nodded. "Yeah, but we wanted to say goodbye instead of just disappearing into the night." He couldn't stop his lips from pulling downwards, and knew he would be tearing up if vampire biology had allowed it. It truly had been a very long time since he had formed bonds with anyone outside of his family, and having to cut ties with them was harder than expected.

May and Kristen exchanged a look and Alice, seeing their intent, grabbed Rosalie's hand and pulled her towards their friends, splitting the group in two as the boys huddled around Emmett and Jasper. Even Troy didn't look as happy as usual, and Emmett could feel himself slowly sinking into Jasper's softly sad emotional state. He heard Alice make May promise to never dye her hair blue again, and smiled. Maybe they couldn't be here forever, but they sure as hell could make this ending a good one.

"So," he said, his friends turning towards him as they noted his change in tone and posture. "This is it, I guess. Apologies for taking both of your Littles away at the same time, Rob."

Robert managed to produce a small smile. "You'll always be my Littles, even if we never speak again. Being a brother is for life, remember?" Emmett chuckled softly, but decided against explaining to Robert that his life ended a long time ago.

"I can promise that you'll never see us again," Jasper said roughly. "You kids look after each other, yeah?"

Cameron raised an eyebrow. "Sure, grandpa," he joked, but a cloud of suspicion pulled over his face. "How old are you, exactly?"

Jasper threw Emmett an uncertain look and Emmett shook his head imperceptibly to the humans. "Irrelevant." Jasper smiled. "Just be good." The other boys put their arms around Emmett and Jasper and squeezed them tightly.

When they stepped back, they looked at the girls, who were also rounding up their goodbyes. Jasper looked pensive for a moment before nodding at Alice, who smiled as she saw what he meant.

Alice detached herself from her group and came to stand between Jasper and Emmett, looking to Robert and Troy first. "The beach," she said with a smile, eyes far away. "I would choose wildflowers, it'll look better… and don't try and keep Cameron away from the microphone, it'll be wild, but it'll be great." Troy and Robert looked a little confused but nodded. Emmett smiled; he was so used to Alice's gift at this point that it was hard to imagine how strange it must be to hear her describe the wedding you weren't aware you would have yet. Unaware of the future grooms' confusion, Alice turned to Cameron and her smile got wider. "Pick DC, not New York," she said, making direct eye contact even though her eyes were still focused on the future. "It's important."

"Why would I-" Cameron started, but Jasper cut him off, putting an arm around Alice's shoulders: "Don't question it, Cam, just listen to her. Alice is never wrong." 

"She better not be," Kristen said from behind them, and they made room for the other girls in their huddle. "There are several things that I will be terribly disappointed about if they don't come to fruition."

The group laughed and, after one final group hug, the Cullens climbed into Emmett's Jeep. Emmett looked into the mirror at their friends standing in a tight group, knowing they would disappear from view soon. "Ready to go?" he asked, even though he knew everyone's answer was the exact opposite of what their actions would reflect.

"Give me one second," Rosalie said, and threw open the passenger door. She jumped out and walked a few paces closer to the humans with a confident stride. "Lillian," Emmett heard her say. He exchanged a look in the mirror with Jasper and Alice, all listening intently as Rosalie continued: "Please tell your, _our_ , family to stop looking for me. It'll be better for all of us."

Lillian nodded slowly, her face telling Emmett she had never really believed Rosalie's insistence that they weren't related. "I'll see what I can do."

Rosalie got back in the car and closed the door, looking only ahead at the road. "Let's go."

Emmett hit the gas and the Jeep roared to live. It always took a little for the car to hit its full speed potential, and Emmett enjoyed the feeling of slowly speeding up much more than the quick getaway that Rosalie's BMW offered. He couldn't resist glancing in the mirror, seeing the people who had become his close friends in the span of only a few months fade into the background.

He put an arm on Rosalie's headrest. "I'm sorry it didn't last longer, Rose," he said softly. He knew Jasper and Alice could hear every word, but also knew he trusted them enough to not care about it. "I know you were really looking forward to creating a perfect college love story for us, and I was really looking forward to giving you that. You deserve it."

Rosalie smiled gently and took his hand from behind her head, entwining their fingers. "Emmett McCarty, this insane love story I have with you is really the only one I'm interested in."

Emmett knew that, had he been human, he would have blushed. "Babe-" he started, but Rosalie cut him off.

She fixed her blazing hazel eyes on his and smiled, really smiled, in a way that made Emmett's heart jump. She truly was most beautiful when she was fierce. "I mean it, Emmett. Screw creating a new love story." She leaned in to kiss him for a moment, then moved back so Emmett could focus on the road again. "Ours is already perfect."


End file.
